Customer Ambassador Program to Run from June 16 to July 12; Phase 1 to Launch Sunday, June 29
MTA to Staff Key Bus Stop Locations to Assist Riders With Questions on Upcoming Changes
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced it will launch a Customer Ambassador Program on Monday, June 16 for Phase 1 of the Queens Bus Network Redesign to raise awareness of the upcoming changes and ensure riders are prepared for the implementation of the updated network. The outreach program will continue through Sunday, July 12 and will have covered 140 Phase 1 locations over the course of four weeks. MTA employees will begin staffing key bus stops to help customers navigate the new network, with some additional support provided by New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) employees. The first phase of the plan encompasses nearly 70% of the plan’s changes and will launch on Sunday, June 29.
“Our past Customer Ambassador programs have been incredibly successful in raising awareness of upcoming changes and how the project aims to provide better, more reliable bus service through a modernized network,” said New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “It also reassures riders that we are committed to making the transition to the new network as seamless as possible, with the opportunity to engage in-person with a staff member.”
The Queens Bus Network Redesign is a historic effort to transform the nearly 70-year-old bus system with updates to both express and local bus service to better match the growth and travel patterns the borough has seen over the years. The bus service improvement plan will bring new and improved transit service to New York City’s largest borough boasting over 800,000 daily riders. This project touches nearly every route in Queens, resulting in one of the most comprehensive service changes in MTA history – and a comprehensive community outreach process to match it. The Redesign team worked iteratively over the last six years to develop and refine proposals that better meet rider needs, modernize service, and improve operations for the MTA workforce. After an extensive outreach process of over 250 events, including a public hearing, and more than 18,000 comments, the final version of the Queens Bus Network Redesign was approved by the MTA Board on January 29, 2025.
The final plan includes a total of 124 routes (vs 113 existing): 94 local routes, and 30 express routes. Phase 1 will launch on Sunday, June 29 and Phase 2 will launch Sunday, August 31. The Customer Ambassador Program will return for the launch of Phase 2. To find out if and when a specific route will change, visit the Project Phasing Guide or the Route Look-Up Tool, which allows customers to select any bus route from a drop-down menu to see when the route will be changing and links to additional detailed information. The route look-up tool also works with Google Translate, which enables customers to read information about their specific route(s) in their preferred language.
The project webpage is home to all plan materials and resourceful links, including the Trip Planner. The MTA will keep customers informed before, during, and after each phase of implementation via social media, advertisements, email and SMS alerts. Customers should sign up for MTA service alerts to receive real-time information and updates about their bus routes. The MTA’s notification system makes it easy for customers to sign up for alerts specific to their trip and allows riders to configure date and time restrictions.