Operator MTA Bus Company Began service 1939 | Garage JFK Depot Locale Queens | |
System MTA Regional Bus Operations Vehicle Orion VII
Orion VII Next Generation | ||
The Q37 bus route constitutes a public transit line in Queens, New York City, United States, running primarily along 111th Street between Kew Gardens and South Ozone Park. The Q37 was formerly privately operated by Green Bus Lines, under a subsidized franchise with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT). The route is now operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations under the MTA Bus Company brand.
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Route description and service
The Q37 bus originates at Queens Boulevard and Union Turnpike, where a vast majority of the riders of the Q37 transfer to the New York City Subway at the Kew Gardens – Union Turnpike station. The bus turns via Kew Gardens Road, and then turns south via 80th Road, and then buses turn onto Park Lane. Buses at this point going northbound continue via Park Lane and then turn on Union Turnpike. After running via Park Lane, the Q37 turns onto Park Lane South, which is on the border of Kew Gardens and Forest Park. Then the bus turns east on Myrtle Avenue, and then it turns southeast via 111th Street, and it continues to run via 111th Street until Rockaway Boulevard, passing through Richmond Hill and Ozone Park. The bus route then turns into Aqueduct Race Track to serve the Resorts World Casino. Afterwards, the route continues onto Rockaway Boulevard before turning southeast via various local streets. The bus then turns east via 135th Avenue, and then the bus turns onto South Conduit Avenue before reaching the route's terminal at 149th Avenue and 150th Avenue in South Ozone Park.
Early operation
Originally operated by General Omnibus Company, service began in January 1939.
In 1936, Queens was divided into four zones, for bus operating franchise purposes. With the new zone setup, one company would be awarded the franchise in each zone, with any remaining smaller operations acquired by the larger company. The Q37 fell into Zone C, the zone for Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, and the Rockaways, and the route was awarded to Green Bus Lines.
On November 23, 1941, the Q37 was extended from Jamaica Avenue to Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens.
MTA takeover
On January 9, 2006, the MTA Bus Company took over the operations of the Green Bus Line routes.
On October 30, 2011, daily service via Aqueduct Racetrack was added, to serve the Resorts World Casino. Also on this date, the Q37 was rerouted to operate on 133rd Avenue, Lefferts Boulevard and 135th Avenue, in both directions. Service on 116th Street was discontinued.
On February 24, 2013, Q37 buses stopped running via 150th Avenue. Instead, the bus route was changed, with buses running via South Conduit Avenue between 130th Street and 134th Street. The route was changed in order to avoid congestion at the Sanitation yard on 150th Street. An additional reason for the change was to allow buses to avoid making a turn onto South Conduit Avenue from 132nd Street, because there is no traffic light at this intersection and vehicles often pass at high speeds, often causing severe delays. Additionally, 132nd Street is a narrow residential block.