Customer Ambassador Program to Run from Aug. 18 to Sept. 12 With MTA Staff at Key Bus Stop Locations to Assist Riders with Questions on Upcoming Changes
Final Route Changes to Begin Sunday, Aug. 31
Customers Encouraged to Use MTA App to Navigate New Bus Network
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced it is relaunching the Customer Ambassador Program tomorrow, Monday, Aug. 18, to raise public awareness of the final route changes coming up in the Queens Bus Network Redesign, which will mark the full implementation of the bus service improvement plan across the borough. The remaining set of changes will take effect on Sunday, Aug. 31 (and Tuesday, Sept. 2 for bus routes that do not operate on Sundays). The Customer Ambassador Program will run through Friday, Sept. 12. The first phase of the plan, launched on Sunday, June 29, encompassed nearly 70% of the plan’s changes and was concentrated in Eastern Queens including neighborhoods of Ridgewood, Flushing, and Fresh Meadows. The final phase is concentrated in Western Queens, including Astoria, Long Island City, Jackson Heights, Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Howard Beach, and Far Rockaway.
“We’re bringing back our Customer Ambassador Program to remind customers of the improvements coming to their neighborhood and to plan ahead,” said New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “We encourage riders to ask questions or take a pamphlet from one of the ambassadors who will be easily visible in an orange and yellow vest. We also plan to boost staffing for the start of the school year to make sure riders have the support they need to make this transition as smooth as possible.”
The customer ambassador program aims to raise awareness of the upcoming changes and to ensure riders are prepared for the implementation of the updated network. The outreach program will continue through the first two weeks of September and will have covered 58 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 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. Except for the Q44, Q53, and Q70, this project touches 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. To plan ahead, customers can use the Trip Planner to preview their trips with the changes in effect. Once the redesign is fully rolled out, customers are encouraged to use the MTA app to navigate the new network. The app provides live bus updates, including arrival times, and the option for customers to reach out to the customer care team via the chat feature with any questions they may have.
To find out if and when a specific route has either changed or will change, customers can check out 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 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. All plan materials and resourceful links, including the links mentioned, can be found on the project webpage.
The MTA will continue to keep customers informed about the rollout of the redesign 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.