Queens Bus Network Redesign: Phase 1 Changes Explained

Queens Bus Network Redesign: Phase 1

• 🚌 Phase 1 of the new Queens bus network redesign has officially gone into effect, impacting the first weekday morning commute.
• 💡 This major overhaul, the result of over five years of planning, aims to provide better, faster, and more reliable service for approximately 800,000 daily riders in Queens.

New Routes and Service Adjustments

• 🗺️ The redesign introduces a total of 124 routes, comprising 94 local and 30 express routes.
• 🚀 New "rush routes" have been added, designed to offer quicker commutes to subway and rail stations.
• ⚠️ Conversely, some existing lines, such as the Q15A, Q20A, Q20B, and Q34, are being scrapped or replaced, and some bus stops have been relocated or removed.
• 📍 The current changes primarily focus on Eastern Queens and Ridgewood.

Project Scope and Future Phases

• 💰 This comprehensive bus redesign is a more than $30 million project that has been six years in the making.
• 🗓️ The redesign is being implemented in phases, with the second phase scheduled to begin on August 31st.

Expanded Bus Service in Other Boroughs

• 📈 In parallel with the Queens redesign, Governor Kathy Hochul announced changes to bus routes in other boroughs.
• 🌉 An $8 million state initiative will increase bus service on 14 routes outside of Queens, specifically in the Bronx, Staten Island, and Brooklyn, to improve service beyond Manhattan.