Photo: Yelp
Feb. 2, 2016 Staff Report
The MTA will increase service on the Q70 bus this spring to meet the needs of its growing ridership.
The Q70 Limited, which runs to LaGuardia Airport via Jackson Heights and Woodside, has seen its customers double in recent years.
This bus line was implemented in September 2013 to link the airport with regional transit lines 40 percent faster than earlier local bus routes.
The Q70 line saw a jump in ridership from 2,173 average weekday customers in September 2013 to 4,372 average weekday customers today, according to the MTA.
On the new schedule, buses will run every eight minutes on weekdays during midday and evening peak hours. On weekends, buses will run every 10 minutes during midday and evenings. Buses will run every 20 minutes during overnight hours.
Originally, the Q70 Limited ran on a 12-minute frequency during most of the day, with 15-minute and 20-minute intervals during early morning and late evening periods and 30-minute intervals during overnight periods.
The service increase will go into effect in April 2016. It will increase operating cost by approximately $753,000 per year, according to an MTA report. This cost has been incorporated into the agency’s budget.
The MTA is also working to bring Select Bus Service to the line this year, which will allow customers to prepay for their ride and enter the bus through any door, for faster boarding.
The Q70 Limited serves the Woodside-61st Street LIRR and 7 train station and the EFMR and 7 station at the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave hub, then travels non-stop to and from LaGuardia Airport via the limited-access Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Grand Central Parkway.
“We always want to better serve our customers by strengthening service whenever we have sustainable resources to do so,” said Darryl Irick, President of the MTA Bus Company and Senior Vice President of NYC Transit’s Department of Buses.
“This added service on a growing route will further enhance the fast and reliable bus connection between LaGuardia Airport and all parts of the City via the transit hubs in Queens,” he added.
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This bus should have been put in operation decades ago. I have used it several times and have recommended it to everyone I know or have met using Laguardia airport. It’s quick, comfortable, timely and cost effective.