Q25 and Q34 buses

For additional information on the current bus services, see List of bus routes in Queens.
Q25 / Q25 Limited / Q34
College Point – Jamaica
Whitestone – Jamaica

A Q25 bus in Kew Gardens Hills.
Overview
System MTA Regional Bus Operations
Operator MTA Bus Company
Garage College Point Depot
Vehicle New Flyer C40LF CNG
Began service 1928 (Q25)
1933 (Q34)
2007 (Q25 Limited)
Route
Locale Queens
Communities served College Point, Whitestone, Flushing, Queensboro Hill, Pomonok, Kew Gardens Hills, Hillcrest, Briarwood, Jamaica
Start College Point, Queens – Poppenhusen Avenue and 119th Street (Q25)
Whitestone, Queens – Willets Point Boulevard and 149th Street (Q34)
Via Kissena Boulevard, Parsons Boulevard
End Jamaica, Queens – Sutphin Boulevard and 94th Avenue, Jamaica station
Length 8.4 miles (13.5 km) (Q25)[1][2]
7.2 miles (11.6 km) (Q34)[2][3]
Service
Operates 24 hours (Q25)[note 1][note 2][4]
Daily ridership Q25: 6,267,728 (2014)[5]
Q34: 1,833,410 (2014)[5]
Fare $2.75 (MetroCard or coins)
Cash Coins only (exact change required)
Transfers Yes
Timetable Q25/Q34
← Q24
← Q33		  {{{system_nav}}}  Q26 →
Q35 →

The Q25 and Q34 bus routes constitute a public transit line in Queens, New York City, United States. The south-to-north route runs primarily on Kissena Boulevard and Parsons Boulevard, operating between two major bus-subway hubs: Sutphin Boulevard – Archer Avenue – Jamaica and Flushing – Main Street. The Q25 terminates in College Point, and the Q34 in Whitestone, at the north end of Queens.

The Q25 and Q34 were originally operated by Queens-Nassau Transit Lines, Queens Transit Corporation, and Queens Surface Corporation from the 1930s to 2005; they are now operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations under the New York City Transit brand.

Route description and service

A Jamaica Station-bound Q34 bus on Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica.

The Q25 begins at Poppenhusen Avenue and 119th Street in College Point. The bus then travels via 127th Street, Ulmer Place, and Linden Place, before it meets up with the Q34 at 32nd Avenue. It then moves onto Northern Boulevard, and then onto Main Street in Downtown Flushing (also known as Flushing Chinatown). Here is the Flushing – Main Street terminal, where several bus lines, the IRT Flushing Line subway, and the LIRR Port Washington Branch interchange. It then moves onto Kissena Boulevard, running the entire distance of the street between Main Street and Parsons Boulevard, and then turns via Parsons. The routes proceed south to Jamaica Avenue, then west to Sutphin Boulevard, terminating at Supthin Boulevard and 94th Avenue underneath the Jamaica terminal for the LIRR and AirTrain JFK. This terminal is shared with the parallel Q65 route, also a former Queens Surface route. Between the Whitestone Expressway and Jamaica, the Q25 employs limited-stop service, making intermittent stops primarily at major intersections and points of interest. Local stops are served by the regular Q25 and the Q34.[4][6]

The only difference in the routes is north of Linden Place, where the Q34 diverges. The Q34 is a weekday only service, and does not run during late nights. The Q34 starts at 149th Street and Willets Point Boulevard in Whitestone, and then turns via Union Avenue. The Q34 then turns via local streets until it meets up with the Q25 at Linden Place.[4][6]

The average daily ridership for the Q25 on weekdays in 2014 was 19,567, the ridership on Saturday was 13,359 and the ridership on Sunday was 10,225. The average daily ridership for the Q34 in 2014 was 7,218.[6][7][8][9][10]

History

Early operation

Q25 service began in 1928, under the operation of the Flushing Heights Bus Company.[11] On May 25, 1933, Queens–Nassau Transit, Inc. received a one-year franchise for route "Q-34" from Flushing to College Point.[12] The route began service in April 1933.[11]

In 1931, the Board of Estimate was deciding which bus route franchises would be given to which operators. Along with thirty other bus routes, the Q25 was tentatively assigned to the North Shore Bus Company.[13]

The North Shore Bus Company acquired but did not merge the Flushing Heights Bus Corporation on September 22, 1935.[14] North Shore expected to get the franchises for both the Q17 and Q25, which were then operated by Flushing Heights. North Shore was only allowed to keep the Q17 route, and as compensation, the city assured them of a new route between Flushing and Jamaica via Main Street. This route would go into service when a bridge was built to carry Main Street over the Grand Central Parkway; this route is today's Q44.[15][16]

In 1935, the Southern terminal of the Q25 was at Parsons Boulevard and 75th Avenue. The Flushing–Hillcrest Civic Association called for the route to be extended to Jamaica Avenue.[17]

The original Q25 terminus was in Flushing, and the original Q34 was the College Point segment of the Q25. The Q25 was combined with the then-Q34 route into College Point, and the Q34 was later rerouted to its current alignment in Whitestone and then extended along the Q25 route.[18] On July 16, 1937, Queens – Nassau Transit combined the Q25 and the Q34 to become the Q25-34 operating from College Point to Jamaica.[19] At this point, buses used the Q25/34 designation.[20] Toward College Point, the buses would use the sign Q25/34, and toward Jamaica the signs would use Q34/25. The Roosevelt Avenue short-turns would use Q25, while the through buses to College Point would use Q34.

In 1940, hearings took place concerning whether to reroute most Q25 buses to stay on Parsons Boulevard. This would eliminate the detour in Hillcrest of buses turning off of Parsons Boulevard at Goethals Avenue, then moving onto 164th Street, and then finally onto the Grand Central Parkway service road before moving back onto Parsons Boulevard.[21]

The Linden Towers branch of the Q34 (also designated Q25-Q34)[22] started in 1961 to 139th Street and 28th Road. In 1970, it was extended to 149th Street & Willets Point Blvd.[22] In the early 1990s, the Q25/34 was split into the Q25 and the Q34 easing the confusion of the riders.

The Southern terminus for the Q25 and Q34 moved from 160th Street and Jamaica Avenue to Parsons Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue in 2004.[23]

MTA takeover

On February 27, 2005, the MTA Bus Company took over the operations of the Queens Surface routes, part of the city's takeover of all the remaining privately operated bus routes.[24][25] Under the MTA, the Q25, Q34, and Q65 were extended from Jamaica Avenue to the Jamaica LIRR station on Sutphin Boulevard in April 2006.[11][26][27]

On July 9, 2007, Q25 limited-stop service was introduced, skipping stops between Flushing-Main Street and Jamaica during rush hours.[28][29]

In 2009, the northbound stop was relocated form eastbound Willets Point Boulevard at 149th Street to a location nearby on eastbound 25th Avenue at 149th Street where curb space was available. This was done in response to community requests to address buses that were double parking during their recovery times. The turnaround path was changed to utilize 25th Avenue to northbound 150th Street to westbound Willets Point Boulevard.[3]

In 2014, the Parsons/Kissena corridor along with the Main Street corridor and 164th Street corridor were evaluated for a potential Select Bus Service (SBS) route between Flushing and Jamaica.[30][31] The Q65 Limited (164th Street) was not selected for conversion; the Q25 Limited and Q44 Limited (Main Street) underwent further studies in 2015.[1][32] The Q44 became the Q44 SBS on November 29, 2015,[33] and the Q25 Limited will be implemented as an SBS service in 2017.[34][35][36]

In September 2016, in response to community requests, the Q34's Whitestone terminus will be slightly revised and the turnaround travel path of the bus will be revised to avoid a residential street. The northbound travel path of the Q34 will travel east onto 31st Road and continue northbound on 139th Street to return to 28th Road instead of going on 138th Street and the Whitestone Expressway service road. One lightly use bus stop at 137th Street and 29th Road in Flushing would be discontinued. Annual operating costs would decrease by $12,700.[3]

The community has requested that the Q34 be removed from 25th Avenue, which abuts Leonardo Ingravallo Playground and the Memorial Field of Flushing ballfields to the south, and residential homes to the north. The Q34's last northbound stop and its layover will be relocated to Willets Point Boulevard at 149th Street, and the turnaround would be restored to its pre-2009 routing, running via Willets Point Boulevard, turning right on 24th Road, and turning left around a traffic island to westbound Willets Point Boulevard. The last northbound stop would be relocated within the same intersection, and the turnaround path would be reduced by approximately 1,000 feet.[3]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Q25 Limited Runs During Rush Hours".
  2. ↑ "Q34 operates weekday only, and doesn't run during late nights".

References

  1. 1 2 "Flushing To Jamaica Select Bus Service: January 22, 2015: Public Open House" (PDF). nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation. January 22, 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Transit & Bus Committee Meeting September 2013" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-10-25. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Transit & Bus Committee Meeting June 2016" (PDF). www.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 ["Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2016. Q25/Q34 bus schedule] MTA Regional Bus Operations.
  5. 1 2 "Facts and Figures". mta.info. 2011-08-28. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  6. 1 2 3 "Queens Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
  7. ↑ "Northeast Queens Bus Study" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Urbitran Associates, Inc (May 2004). "NYCDOT Bus Ridership Survey and Route Analysis Final Report: Chapter 3 Transit System Characteristics" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  9. ↑ Urbitran Associates, Inc (May 2004). "NYCDOT Bus Ridership Survey and Route Analysis Final Report: Chapter 4 Operating and Financial Performance" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "Appendix B: Route Profiles" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 "NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ROUTES". www.chicagorailfan.com. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  12. ↑ "Full text of 'State of New York Department of Public Service Metropolitan Division: Fourteenth Annual Report For the Calendar Year 1934'"". archive.org. New York State Department of Public Service. February 14, 1935. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  13. ↑ "Pick Tentative Bus Operators; Queens Objects". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 19, 1931. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  14. ↑ "North Shore Company Takes Over Rival's Routes". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 24, 1935. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  15. ↑ "Survey Shows Commuters in Zone B Want More Buses Run in Rush Hours: North Shore Passengers Praise Equipment as Improvement" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. April 7, 1937. p. 2. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  16. ↑ "Franchise Hearing: Motor Omnibus Lines, Queens" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. December 4, 1936. p. 28. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  17. ↑ "Ask Extension of Bus Route". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 22, 1935.
  18. ↑ "Queens – Nassau Map". Photobucket. Queens – Nassau Transit Lines. 1939–1940. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Summer City Hall Linked By Buses: Queens-Nassau Transit to Start Jamaica to College Point Route". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 15, 1937. p. 32. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  20. ↑ "North Shore Residents! it's easy to get to GERTZ" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. April 16, 1940. p. 5. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  21. ↑ "Transit Appeal Carried Over to July 8 by Fertig". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 3, 1940. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  22. 1 2 "1975 Queens Bus Map". wardmaps.com. New York City Transit Authority. 1975. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  23. ↑ Hirshon, Nicholas (March 2, 2006). "BIZ DRIVEN AWAY. BUS REROUTE HURTS SALES, SAY JAMAICA MART OWNERS". Daily News (New York). Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  24. ↑ Silverman, Norman (July 26, 2010). "The Merger of 7 Private Bus Companies into MTA Bus" (PDF). apta.com. American Public Transportation Association, Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-16. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  25. ↑ Woodberry, Jr., Warren (February 24, 2005). "MAJOR BUS CO. TO JOIN MTA". Daily News (New York). Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  26. ↑ "The MTA 2006 ANNUAL REPORT: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended December 31, 2006 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended December 31, 2006" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 1, 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  27. ↑ "April 2006 Q25/Q34 Timetable" (PDF). www.mta.info. MTA Bus. April 14, 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 14, 2006. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  28. ↑ "2007 Annual Report: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended December 31, 2007" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 31, 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  29. ↑ "MTA Bus Service Changes". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-07-08. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  30. ↑ "Flushing to Jamaica Select Bus Service Stakeholder Meeting June 11, 2014" (PDF). nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation. June 11, 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  31. ↑ Toure, Madina (January 22, 2015). "NE Queens leaders wary of Select Bus Service proposal". timesledger.com. Times Ledger. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  32. ↑ "Flushing to Jamaica Select Bus Service Public Workshop October 7, 2014" (PDF). nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation. October 7, 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  33. ↑ "Effective November 29: Q44 Select Bus Service". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  34. ↑ "Northeast Queens Bus Study" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  35. ↑ "Transit & Bus Committee Meeting December 2015" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  36. ↑ "MTA 2017 Preliminary Budget July Financial Plan 2017 –2020 Volume 2" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
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