Operator MTA Bus Company Vehicle New Flyer C40LF CNG | Garage College Point Depot Locale Queens | |
 | ||
System MTA Regional Bus Operations Began service 1928 (Q25)
1933 (Q34)
2007 (Q25 Limited)
2017 (Q25 SBS) | ||
The Q25 and Q34 bus routes constitute a public transit line in Queens, New York City, United States. The south-to-north route runs primarily on Kissena Boulevard and Parsons Boulevard, operating between two major bus-subway hubs: Sutphin Boulevard – Archer Avenue – Jamaica and Flushing – Main Street. The Q25 terminates in College Point, and the Q34 in Whitestone, at the north end of Queens.
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The Q25 and Q34 were originally operated by Queens-Nassau Transit Lines, Queens Transit Corporation, and Queens Surface Corporation from the 1930s to 2005; they are now operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations under the New York City Transit brand.
Route description and service
The Q25 begins at Poppenhusen Avenue and 119th Street in College Point. The bus then travels via 127th Street, Ulmer Place, and Linden Place, before it meets up with the Q34 at 32nd Avenue. It then moves onto Northern Boulevard, and then onto Main Street in Downtown Flushing (also known as Flushing Chinatown). Here is the Flushing – Main Street terminal, where several bus lines, the IRT Flushing Line subway, and the LIRR Port Washington Branch interchange. It then moves onto Kissena Boulevard, running the entire distance of the street between Main Street and Parsons Boulevard, and then turns via Parsons. The routes proceed south to Jamaica Avenue, then west to Sutphin Boulevard, terminating at Supthin Boulevard and 94th Avenue underneath the Jamaica terminal for the LIRR and AirTrain JFK. This terminal is shared with the parallel Q65 route, also a former Queens Surface route. Between the Whitestone Expressway and Jamaica, the Q25 employs limited-stop service, making intermittent stops primarily at major intersections and points of interest. Local stops are served by the regular Q25 and the Q34.
The only difference in the routes is north of Linden Place, where the Q34 diverges. The Q34 is a weekday only service, and does not run during late nights. The Q34 starts at 149th Street and Willets Point Boulevard in Whitestone, and then turns via Union Avenue. The Q34 then turns via local streets until it meets up with the Q25 at Linden Place.
The average daily ridership for the Q25 on weekdays in 2014 was 19,567, the ridership on Saturday was 13,359 and the ridership on Sunday was 10,225. The average daily ridership for the Q34 in 2014 was 7,218.
Early operation
Q25 service began in 1928, under the operation of the Flushing Heights Bus Company. On May 25, 1933, Queens–Nassau Transit, Inc. received a one-year franchise for route "Q-34" from Flushing to College Point. The route began service in April 1933.
In 1931, the Board of Estimate was deciding which bus route franchises would be given to which operators. Along with thirty other bus routes, the Q25 was tentatively assigned to the North Shore Bus Company.
The North Shore Bus Company acquired but did not merge the Flushing Heights Bus Corporation on September 22, 1935. North Shore expected to get the franchises for both the Q17 and Q25, which were then operated by Flushing Heights. North Shore was only allowed to keep the Q17 route, and as compensation, the city assured them of a new route between Flushing and Jamaica via Main Street. This route would go into service when a bridge was built to carry Main Street over the Grand Central Parkway; this route is today's Q44.
In 1935, the Southern terminal of the Q25 was at Parsons Boulevard and 75th Avenue. The Flushing–Hillcrest Civic Association called for the route to be extended to Jamaica Avenue.
The original Q25 terminus was in Flushing, and the original Q34 was the College Point segment of the Q25. The Q25 was combined with the then-Q34 route into College Point, and the Q34 was later rerouted to its current alignment in Whitestone and then extended along the Q25 route. On July 16, 1937, Queens – Nassau Transit combined the Q25 and the Q34 to become the Q25-34 operating from College Point to Jamaica. At this point, buses used the Q25/34 designation. Toward College Point, the buses would use the sign Q25/34, and toward Jamaica the signs would use Q34/25. The Roosevelt Avenue short-turns would use Q25, while the through buses to College Point would use Q34.
In 1940, hearings took place concerning whether to reroute most Q25 buses to stay on Parsons Boulevard. This would eliminate the detour in Hillcrest of buses turning off of Parsons Boulevard at Goethals Avenue, then moving onto 164th Street, and then finally onto the Grand Central Parkway service road before moving back onto Parsons Boulevard.
The Linden Towers branch of the Q34 (also designated Q25-Q34) started in 1961 to 139th Street and 28th Road. In 1970, it was extended to 149th Street & Willets Point Blvd. In the early 1990s, the Q25/34 was split into the Q25 and the Q34 easing the confusion of the riders.
The Southern terminus for the Q25 and Q34 moved from 160th Street and Jamaica Avenue to Parsons Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue in 2004.
MTA takeover
On February 27, 2005, the MTA Bus Company took over the operations of the Queens Surface routes, part of the city's takeover of all the remaining privately operated bus routes. Under the MTA, the Q25, Q34, and Q65 were extended from Jamaica Avenue to the Jamaica LIRR station on Sutphin Boulevard in April 2006.
On July 9, 2007, Q25 limited-stop service was introduced, skipping stops between Flushing-Main Street and Jamaica during rush hours.
In 2009, the northbound stop was relocated form eastbound Willets Point Boulevard at 149th Street to a location nearby on eastbound 25th Avenue at 149th Street where curb space was available. This was done in response to community requests to address buses that were double parking during their recovery times. The turnaround path was changed to utilize 25th Avenue to northbound 150th Street to westbound Willets Point Boulevard.
In 2014, the Parsons/Kissena corridor along with the Main Street corridor and 164th Street corridor were evaluated for a potential Select Bus Service (SBS) route between Flushing and Jamaica. The Q65 Limited (164th Street) was not selected for conversion; the Q25 Limited and Q44 Limited (Main Street) underwent further studies in 2015. The Q44 became the Q44 SBS on November 29, 2015, and the Q25 Limited will be implemented as an SBS service in 2017.
In September 2016, in response to community requests, the Q34's Whitestone terminus will be slightly revised and the turnaround travel path of the bus will be revised to avoid a residential street. The northbound travel path of the Q34 will travel east onto 31st Road and continue northbound on 139th Street to return to 28th Road instead of going on 138th Street and the Whitestone Expressway service road. One lightly use bus stop at 137th Street and 29th Road in Flushing would be discontinued. Annual operating costs would decrease by $12,700.
The community has requested that the Q34 be removed from 25th Avenue, which abuts Leonardo Ingravallo Playground and the Memorial Field of Flushing ballfields to the south, and residential homes to the north. The Q34's last northbound stop and its layover will be relocated to Willets Point Boulevard at 149th Street, and the turnaround would be restored to its pre-2009 routing, running via Willets Point Boulevard, turning right on 24th Road, and turning left around a traffic island to westbound Willets Point Boulevard. The last northbound stop would be relocated within the same intersection, and the turnaround path would be reduced by approximately 1,000 feet.