Added Overnight Service in Plan Increases Transit Access to 68,000 More Queens Residents; 10 Minutes-or-Better Service Expanded to 124,000 More Residents
Plan Invests $33.7 Million Annually in Largest Bus Network Redesign in the Nation, Improving Service and Reliability for 800,000 Daily Riders
Six-Month Evaluation Expected Spring of 2026
View Photos of MTA Ambassadors at 21 St and 41 Av Bus Stop in Long Island City
See Video of MTA Media Availability on First Weekday of Fully Launched Queens Bus Network Redesign
View B-Roll Footage of MTA Leadership and Customer Ambassadors Engaging with Riders
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the full implementation of the Queens Bus Network Redesign, the largest bus redesign in the country, and one of the most comprehensive service changes in MTA history. MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber and New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow joined customer ambassadors in Long Island City, Queens, this morning to greet bus riders, answer questions, and gather initial impressions on the first weekday with the full redesign in effect. The second and last phase began Sunday, Aug. 31, and today marks the full implementation of the redesign. The first phase, with nearly two thirds of the changes, launched on June 29.
“With both phases of the redesign now in effect, MTA’s transformation of the Queens bus network—adding $34 million for new service — is now complete from Arverne all the way to Astoria,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “That means faster buses, greater reliability and increased access to jobs, education and shopping for the City’s most bus reliant borough, home to 800,000 daily riders, as many as the entire Los Angeles bus system.
“This transformation modernizes the Queens bus network by providing a better foundation to keep improving bus service and we’re thrilled to reach this milestone,” said NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “The redesign is shaped by years of community feedback and analysis to implement a network that balances operational needs and public input to speed up buses and improve reliability. We’ll closely monitor the results of the new network to ensure it is achieving the intended goals.”
The MTA will analyze changes in bus speeds, ridership, reliability, travel times, rider satisfaction, and other relevant variables over six months, beginning in October, and present a post-implementation analysis in the spring of 2026. The results of this analysis will inform future adjustments to the bus network to ensure that service is aligned with stated goals.
The overhaul of the 70-year-old Queens bus network is shaped by six years of planning and community feedback consisting of 300 redesign events and nearly 20,000 comments. These changes expand accessibility, improve transit equity, and deliver better bus service with faster trips, more frequent service, and better connections to key destinations and the rest of the transit system. The new bus network includes 124 routes, consisting of 94 Local and 30 Express routes, a net increase of 11 routes from the existing network, and a $33.7 million annual investment to operations.
“The Queens Bus Network Redesign is a crucial step toward creating a modern, reliable bus system that makes the city more livable and transportation more accessible for Queens residents,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “This historic project improves vital commuter connections and delivers more dependable service, and with the full redesign now in effect, we are proud to partner with the MTA to make this vision a reality. NYC DOT has complemented this effort with key bus priority projects on Hillside Avenue, Northern Boulevard, 21st Street and more, enhancing service, reducing commute times, and giving riders valuable time back in their day.”
“The Queens bus redesign is a major step forward for the many riders who depend on public transit every day,” said Representative Nydia M. Velázquez. “These improvements were the result of years of community input and will bring faster trips, more frequent service, and stronger connections across Queens. This improved service will improve transit for New Yorkers across the borough and help ensure Queens families get the service they deserve.”
“As the Queens Bus Redesign gets underway, I’m proud to join the MTA to inform constituents about the many changes coming to Long Island City,” said State Senator Kristen Gonzalez. “The MTA is modernizing routes, improving accessibility, increasing the frequency of buses, and working to create faster, fairer, and more reliable service for thousands of neighbors.”
"Queens bus riders deserve fast, reliable, and accessible service—no matter where they’re traveling in the borough,” said Assemblymember Steven Raga. “Our neighborhoods are rich in cultural diversity, community, and great food, so everyone should be able to easily experience what we have to offer. I’m excited to see how the MTA’s redesign will better support our riders, and I’m grateful that the MTA will evaluate the changes in the spring to ensure the buses are working for the community."
“After years of careful planning, community conversations and meticulous design, Queens' 800,000 daily bus riders finally have the modernized and more sensible bus network they have always deserved. Our commutes home, to work, to school and to wherever else we need to go are now faster than ever," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "The conversations around the Queens Bus Network Redesign are not over, however, and I look forward to hearing from Queens families on the effectiveness of the plan and to working with the MTA ahead of its 2026 analysis as we make this new network as smooth as possible."
The redesign focuses on four customer priorities: reliable service, faster service, better connections and simplified service. The new bus network adds a new type of route, labeled “Rush,” in addition to the existing Local, Limited, Select Bus Service (SBS), and Express routes. Designed to get riders to their destination more quickly, Rush routes have both a local and a non-stop portion to quickly connect between outer borough neighborhoods and subway stations. The combination of these different routes creates a cohesive network that offers new travel opportunities and fulfills the different needs of Queens bus customers.
To ensure a smooth transition to the redesigned network and as a courtesy to customers, bus operators with trips along modified routes will continue to board and alight customers at former bus stops in the first week, if the bus stop signage or infrastructure has not yet been removed.
The best way to learn about the project is by visiting the main project page with links to resources including:
For real-time information and updates on specific bus routes, customers are encouraged to sign up for MTA service alerts.
Second Free Bus Transfer Pilot
Queens bus riders who tap to pay using the same device or card will get a second free bus transfer on every trip. The first transfer must be within two hours of the first tap and the second transfer must be within three hours. This pilot of an additional free transfer began on June 29 with the launch of the first phase and will run for at least six months while evaluating the new Queens bus network.
Equity-Informed Approach
In Queens, where residents are more likely to face longer commutes and have limited access to subway and rail compared to other boroughs, the bus network plays an important role, especially for historically marginalized communities. The MTA extensively studied demographic characteristics and equity areas of concentrated need to learn about how transit can better meet riders’ needs. This led to the development of the Final Plan that holistically invests in service in areas with greater need, and as a result 23 percent of trips in equity areas are estimated to be five or more minutes shorter, compared to the average of 8 percent in other areas.
Beyond the Title VI requirements, the project team published an Equity Evaluation which shares the data behind socioeconomic factors and framework used to inform the development of the new bus network, underscoring the project’s commitment to equitable transportation. In the MTA’s equity analysis, the public can learn how factors such as transit dependency, minority representation, income, access to opportunity, and mobility needs were taken into consideration when making improvements to routes with finite resources to ensure communities with greater equity concerns continue to have strong access to transit.
Upon implementation of both phases, Queens bus riders, on average, will gain access to 5,696 more jobs within 45 minutes — a 3.8 percent increase, and 31 percent of riders will see a 10 percent or greater improvement in job access — over 17,000 more opportunities.
MTA Bus Network Modernization
The Queens Bus Network Redesign is part of major effort to modernize New York City’s bus network across every borough. Over decades, demographics have shifted in residential and business communities and so have travel patterns. The redesigned networks deliver the needed larger-scale improvements to better meet the demand of current and future bus customers.
In 2018, a redesigned express bus network was implemented on Staten Island. In 2022, a redesigned local bus network was implemented in the Bronx. And in Brooklyn, the project team is reviewing feedback from the Brooklyn Bus Network Redesign’s Draft Plan released in December of 2022 to develop the Proposed Final Plan. Manhattan will be the last of the boroughs to begin its bus network redesign, to be followed by the Staten Island Local and Bronx Express bus network redesigns at a later date.