Rahul Somvanshi
Queens commuters will experience major changes starting this Sunday as the MTA launches its biggest bus network overhaul in 70 years. After six years of planning and thousands of community comments, the redesign aims to make bus travel faster, more reliable, and better connected for the 800,000 daily riders who depend on Queens buses.
The changes will roll out in two phases – the first on June 29 covering 70% of the redesign, with the second following on August 31. For many Queens residents, especially those living in areas without subway access, these changes could significantly cut travel time and expand transit access.
“This is our most ambitious bus redesign network yet, and for a good reason – Queens is the bus borough,” said MTA CEO Janno Lieber. “We’re investing almost $35 million per year to give riders faster, more reliable, and more equitable service.”
The redesign creates a new network of 124 routes (94 local and 30 express), adding 11 new routes to the existing system. It introduces a new type of service called “Rush” routes, designed to combine local and non-stop segments to help riders reach their destinations more quickly.
For many Queens commuters like Maria Lopez, who takes the bus daily from Jamaica to Flushing for work, the current system means long waits and multiple transfers. “Some days I spend almost two hours getting to work,” she said. “The buses are often late or too crowded to board.”
The redesign specifically targets these frustrations. When fully implemented, 124,000 more residents will live within a quarter-mile of frequent service (buses arriving every 10 minutes or less), and 68,000 more will gain access to 24/7 service.
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The path to this redesign wasn’t smooth. Plans to modernize the Queens bus map began before COVID, but the MTA’s first attempt faced harsh criticism and was scrapped entirely. “The first iteration of this plan was trash,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards acknowledged. Even after a pandemic-era restart, subsequent drafts continued to face pushback from residents and elected officials.
The final plan reflects significant community input, with the MTA conducting over 250 community outreach events and collecting nearly 20,000 public comments. Richards now describes the plan as “perfectly imperfect,” acknowledging remaining concerns while emphasizing substantial improvements.
Bus stop changes were carefully considered, with 84% of riders able to use the same stops they currently do. The redesign is expected to cut trip times by five minutes or more for 23% of riders in underserved areas, compared to just 8% elsewhere.
To help riders navigate the changes, the MTA has deployed 3,500 customer ambassadors across Queens – the largest customer engagement effort in the agency’s history. They’re stationed at key bus stops daily from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. through July 12, easily identified by their bright orange and yellow vests.
The MTA is also launching a pilot program offering Queens bus riders a second free transfer when using the same payment method, with the first transfer within two hours of the initial tap and the second within three hours. This pilot will run for approximately six months while the MTA evaluates the new network.
City Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers emphasized that work doesn’t end with implementation: “Implementation matters just as much as planning, and I’ll be closely monitoring service changes to ensure community feedback is reflected, that underserved neighborhoods aren’t left behind, and that adjustments are made when needed.”
For Queens residents wondering how these changes will affect their daily commute, the MTA has created a route lookup tool at mta.info/queensbus, where riders can search for specific changes to their routes and stops.
