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QUEENS WEEKLY, AUGUST 11, 2019
More early morning express buses in northeast Queens
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
There will now be two
new early morning express
bus service for commuters
between eastern Queens
and downtown Manhattan,
Assemblywoman Nily
Rozic and the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
(MTA) announced on Aug. 5.
Rozic celebrated
the MTA’s decision to
add two early morning
trips on the QM5 and
QM7, at 5:10 a.m. and
5:40 a.m. respectively.
“Relief in the outer
boroughs is long overdue
for Queens commuters
who are far too familiar
with increasing and often
inconvenient travel times.
Without the subway or
train stations in the area,
my constituents rely on
express buses for their
daily commutes, and these
new trips will provide more
flexibility and additional
convenience,” Rozic said.
“I thank Chair Foye and
his team at the MTA for
coming up with a mutuallyagreeable
solution that
will benefit hundreds
of commuters in
Eastern Queens.”
According to a recent
report by the New York City
Comptroller, the number of
subway and bus commuters
departing for work outside
of the typical morning
rush hour — 7 a.m. and 9
a.m. — has increased by
39 percent, from 253,922 to
355,019, in the last 25 years.
At the same time, rushhour
commuters rose 17
percent, making up about
53 percent of subway and
bus riders.
Craig Cipriano, acting
president of MTA Bus
Company and New York
City Transit’s senior vice
president of Buses, said
they’re thrilled to add more
service on the QM5 and QM7
routes so that northeast
Queens customers
have more options for
public transit.
“Adding these
additional, earlier weekday
trips means more flexibility
for customers and more
seats for riders, and we
thank Assemblymember
Rozic for her continued
support of public transit
and advocacy on behalf
of our bus customers,”
Cipriano said.
Danny Pearlstein,
policy and communications
director of the Riders
Alliance, an organization
that advocates for reliable,
affordable, world-class
public transit, said new
early morning express bus
trips are a huge victory for
Queens riders.
“New York never sleeps.
Many New York riders
rarely sleep. As more and
more of us work outside the
usual nine-to-five workday,
we need our transit system
to keep up with our roundthe
clock commutes,”
Pearlstein said.
Earlier this year, Rozic
also announced transit
improvements including
local bus service restoration
on the Q44 and Q46. The Q44
is a Select Bus Service line
between Jamaica and the
Bronx and serves the heart
of Downtown Flushing
along Main Street.
The MTA is also
undergoing redesigns of
bus route networks in all
five boroughs as part of
its Fast Forward plan to
modernize the New York
City Transit system and
improve service. It is taking
a comprehensive, cleanslate
approach to updating
the network to improve
reliability, streamline
circuitous routes, bolster
service and coverage,
attract new ridership, speed
up buses and more.
Riders are encouraged
to learn about the
redesign process and how
to provide feedback and
submit suggestions at
outreach events.
“We are very pleased
the MTA understood the
need to expand express
bus service for residents
in Northern Queens,” said
Tony Utano, president of
the Transport Workers
Union (TWU) Local 100.
“Buses are the lifeblood
of New York City and we
need to continue to work
in ensuring that we are
providing safe and reliable
services for communities
like these.”
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
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