Plan Invests More Than $30 Million in Largest Bus Network Redesign in the Nation to Increase Bus Frequency, Provide More Direct Routes, Improve Connections to Subway and LIRR, and Improve Reliability for 800,000 Daily Riders
Four New Local Routes for a Total of 17 New Routes in Redesigned Network
Virtual Town Hall Meeting to Be Announced at a Later Date
MTA Board to Vote on Plan Winter 2025
View Queens Bus Network Redesign Proposed Final Plan Addendum
View Video of News Conference
View Photos from News Conference
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today released an update to the Queens Bus Network Redesign, outlining revisions to the Proposed Final Plan as published in December 2023. The changes were based on further public engagement, balancing community input with operational and resource constraints. Queens is the largest borough in New York City with a bus network that carries nearly 800,000 daily riders. The redesign modernizes the decades-old bus network by focusing improvements and dedicating resources in areas with greater transit needs, introducing new routes and improved connections to better match the growth and travel patterns the borough has seen over the years.
The new redesign consists of 124 total routes (vs. 113 existing): 94 Local routes (vs. 83 existing), and 30 Express routes (vs. 30 existing). There will be a virtual town hall meeting before the MTA Board votes on the Plan during the winter of 2025. The date of the virtual town hall will be announced at a later date. If the MTA Board approves the plan, the Authority will launch a large-scale marketing and public education campaign to inform riders of the upcoming changes. If approved, the new bus network will be implemented in two phases on dates to be announced later.
“No borough relies on buses like Queens and riders deserve a system that’s actually designed to fit their needs today – not based on where shops and jobs were located 70 years ago,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “Working with riders, elected officials and community stakeholders, we’ve come up with a plan that will take today’s customers where they want to go while increasing bus speeds and cutting wait times.”
“We’re excited to reach today’s milestone, bringing us one step closer to an improved bus network that hundreds of thousands of Queens customers rely on every day,” said NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “Through robust outreach, the redesign has been shaped by customer feedback and developed to better reflect the major growth and change the borough has seen throughout the years. With new routes, more frequent service, and better connections, including improved accessibility to the rest of the transit system, we hope this new network attracts more riders to use MTA buses.”
“The redesign is key to providing the bus service that Queens residents deserve,” said NYC Senior Vice President of Buses Frank Annicaro. “The public’s feedback has been invaluable in developing a plan that better matches customers’ expectations for more efficient, reliable service, and meets the evolving needs of customers. And with continuing rollout of automated camera enforcement technology on buses – capturing drivers who are violating parking rules and delaying bus trips – Queens residents can look forward to better, faster bus commutes.”
“Redesigning the bus lane network in Queens will improve the quality of life for the majority of the borough’s residents who rely on public transportation for their commutes,” said NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We strongly support the holistic efforts of the borough bus network redesign to improve bus service. Through simplified routes and improved access to important destinations, we can make residents’ commutes faster and more reliable.”
"More than 800,000 hard-working Queens residents of all ages ride the bus every day to work, school and beyond. They deserve a bus system that is quick, efficient and comfortable — the Queens Bus Network Redesign is a massive step forward in delivering exactly that on behalf of our borough's commuters," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "From $30 million in investment to new routes to better connectivity with the rest of our city's mass transit system, this redesign represents a significant victory for commuters in every corner of Queens. I'm proud to have worked with the MTA in bringing this plan to life and I look forward to the continued work with our government and community partners to further strengthen bus service in our borough."
A Customer-Driven Redesign
Since the release of the Proposed Final Plan in December 2023, the project team participated in over 70 public engagements to collect public feedback. These included community board presentations, stakeholder meetings, pop-up events, meetings with labor partners, and open houses. The MTA also held a public hearing to receive feedback on the plan in July 2024. Over 3,000 comments were collected through these outreach events and commenting tools on the website, including the comment portal, Remix interactive map, emails, letters, and 511.
The public is encouraged to visit the Queens Bus Network Redesign project webpage and see individual route profiles to learn more about their bus route and any proposed changes. The route profiles provide a helpful summary of proposed changes, frequencies, bus stop lists, and a map clearly outlining the new and existing routings.
For a more tailored learning experience, the MTA will launch a trip planning tool, where customers will be able to input a start and end location to see their trip options with the bus route changes in effect. This will also be available on the project webpage.
Highlights of Proposed Final Plan Addendum
New Routes
- Four more new local routes are introduced in the proposed Addendum Network, bring the total of new routes in the plan to 17:
- Q74 Limited connects Forest Hills to points in eastern Queens including Queens College, Queensborough Community College, and many major high schools
- Q80 Limited provides more frequent service on Lefferts Blvd along the path of the existing Q10 Limited
- Q89 Rush provides service along the path of the existing Q85 Green Acres branch
- Q90 Limited connects Flushing to LaGuardia Airport via Willets Point
Improved All-Day Frequent Network
- There are 29 routes that provide 10 minutes or better service from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays.
- There are 20 routes that have either increased frequency or expanded hours of operation. Key streets throughout the borough would see frequency increases, including Union Turnpike, Merrick Boulevard, Guy R. Brewer Blvd, and the western section of Northern Boulevard.
More Direct Routing, Faster Travel
- There are 25 Rush routes that pick-up passengers locally on one end and then have greater stop spacing to improve travel times to the other end of the line, stopping at major transfer points and key destinations.
- Increased bus stop spacing speeds up buses and improves reliability for customers. 84% of riders will continue to use the same stop that they do today.
Better Connections
- The redesign fills in gaps in the bus network and establishes new connections with other bus routes, subway lines, and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), and improves accessibility throughout Queens by connecting to more Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-accessible subway stations.
- Improving connections maximizes the opportunity of taking advantage of discounted fare options like the LIRR’s CityTicket, which is a discounted ticket riders can use to travel within city limits for $5 during off-peak hours and $7 for peak hours.
- The redesign improves service to John F. Kennedy Airport on the new Q80 Limited, and to LaGuardia Airport on the Q33 and the new Q90.
- New and modified routes expand the reach of the bus network, making interborough travel easier.
- The proposed Q98 route connects Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs (on the Brooklyn-Queens border) and downtown Flushing via the Horace Harding Expressway. The new route complements the existing Q58 and provides connections to the subway lines, 31 other bus routes and the LIRR Flushing-Main St station.
- The QM65 is a new express route connecting Laurelton and Rochdale in Southeast Queens to downtown Manhattan.
Simplified Service
- As introduced in the New Draft Plan, all Express routes are being standardized to use the “QM” route label, instead of some using “QM” while others use “X.”
- Route labels for the Local network have been simplified so that customers better understand where their bus is traveling before they board.
Complementary Initiatives For Better Bus Service
Bus Priority Street Treatments. Redesigning the bus network is supported by additional initiatives underway to improve bus service with partnering agencies such as the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) and the New York City Police Department (NYPD). As part of the NYC Streets Plan, DOT identified key Queens corridors where bus priority street treatments can be implemented to better support sustainable, all-day bus service. Additionally, DOT’s work installing busways in downtown Flushing and Jamaica, as well as bus lanes on Northern Boulevard and 21 Street, strengthens the bus network redesign and its investment in Queens.
Automated Camera Enforcement (ACE). Formerly known as Automated Bus Lane Enforcement (ABLE), in June 2024, the MTA announced launch of the ACE program which expands on ABLE and issues violations to motorists violating double parked or illegally parked at bus stops in addition to bus lane violations. Enforcement cameras have proven to be effective in changing driver behavior, improving bus service reliability and reducing collisions. More than 1,000 buses across 34 routes are now equipped with ACE technology and the MTA continues to roll out the technology across more buses.