Select Bus Service

LaGuardia Airport Access Alternatives Analysis

LaGuardia Airport is the only major airport in the New York metro area without a rapid transit connection. The idea of providing rapid transit for the airport and the surrounding community has been studied many times over the years, but nothing was implemented.

The LaGuardia Airport corridor was identified as needing short-term, low-cost transit improvements in the Bus Rapid Transit Phase II study in 2009. LaGuardia Airport is currently served by the M60, Q33, Q47, Q48 and Q72 bus routes, but service on these routes is often slowed by narrow streets and long dwell times.

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) and MTA Bus Company (MTABC) are working in partnership with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) on the LaGuardia Airport Access Alternatives Analysis Study. The study will look at both airport trips and trips made by the many residents that live close to the airport.

The study recommends that bus route M60 be enhanced through conversion to Select Bus Service (SBS), with fewer stops, bus lanes, and faster fare collection.

M60 125th Street – LaGuardia Airport SBS

The Corridor

The M60 SBS Corridor extends from 106th/Broadway in Manhattan, across 125th Street and Astoria Boulevard to LaGuardia Airport. On an average weekday the M60 route picks up 9,700 customers along 125th Street alone, making it the busiest route on that corridor. M60 connects to twelve subway lines including the and Metro-North Commuter Railroad.

Project Description

M60 SBS service is expected to begin later in 2013. The overall goals of the project are to speed buses and increase reliability, improve safety for all corridor users, and support overall community needs. Upgrades on the M60 Select Bus Service include off board fare collection, dedicated offset bus lanes on 125th Street, limited stops, and transit signal priority. The offset bus lanes on 125th Street would improve speed and reliability on all 125th Street buses, benefiting the 32,000 daily bus riders boarding along the corridor. Improvements to curb regulations on 125th Street will reduce the amount of double parking along the corridor by increasing parking turnover and providing space for commercial vehicle loading. SBS improvements will also benefit riders taking the M60 to the LaGuardia Airport. From end-to-end, the proposed service would be 10-15% faster than the current M60 route, and 15-20% faster from 125th/Lexington Avenue to LaGuardia Airport.

Physical Features

• Dedicated offset bus lanes on 125th Street
• Off board fare collection for faster boarding
• Station and bus branding
• Three-door, low floor buses
• Transit signal priority
• Pedestrian safety improvements

Service Plan Features

• M60 SBS replaces M60 with limited stops between 106th/Broadway and LaGuardia Airport
• Bx15, M100, and M101 will continue to make all local stops along 125th Street

Proposed M60 SBS Stations

Proposed 125th Street Bus Stops

Check back soon for more information. Also, visit NYCDOT's page at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/html/other/laguardia.shtml