Q64, QM4 and QM44 buses

Q64

The eastbound Q64 starts at the Forest Hills – 71st Avenue subway station in Forest Hills on the north side of Queens Boulevard at 71st Avenue. Then the bus route turns onto Jewel Avenue, crossing over the Grand Central Parkway, Flushing Meadows – Corona Park, and Van Wyck Expressway. The bus then travels through Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, and passes by Queens College. Eastbound buses turn south onto Parsons Boulevard, then run east along 71st Avenue, terminating at 164th Street. Buses lay over on the east side of 164th Street before reentering service on Jewel Avenue.

The westbound Q64 essentially follows the same route until just west of the Van Wyck Expressway, where the westbound Q64 turns slightly north onto 69th Road, which runs parallel to Jewel Avenue. The westbound Q64 continues along 69th Road until the intersection with 108th Street, where buses turn left and continue four blocks to Queens Boulevard. Buses lay over at the west side of 108th Street between Queens Boulevard and 70th Road.

QM4

Eastbound QM4 service via Sixth Avenue begins at Sixth Avenue and 36th Street. The route then pick up passengers along Sixth Avenue. Sixth Avenue service turns onto 57th Street. Afterwards, the service moves onto 59th Street, and then turns onto the Queensboro Bridge crossing over the East River into Queens. Once in Queens, the bus continues along Queens Boulevard making no stops until it reaches Jewel Avenue. The bus drops off passengers along Jewel Avenue, and turns onto 164th Street, with its final stop at the Horace Harding Expressway.

Westbound QM4 service begins at 164th Street and the Horace Harding Expressway, and then turns onto Jewel Avenue picking up passengers. Once the route reaches Queens Boulevard, the bus stops picking up passengers. The bus route then continues via Queens Boulevard until it turns onto the Long Island Expressway. It then goes under the East River through the Queens Midtown Tunnel. Once in Manhattan the bus goes via Sixth Avenue. The bus drops off passengers and then turns via 57th Street, terminating at Third Avenue.

QM44

Eastbound QM44 service begins at Third Avenue and 39th Street. The route then picks up passengers along Third Avenue. Afterwards, the service moves onto 59th Street, and then turns onto the Queensboro Bridge crossing over the East River into Queens. Once in Queens, the bus continues along Queens Boulevard making no stops until it reaches Jewel Avenue. The bus drops off passengers along Jewel Avenue, and turns onto 164th Street, with its final stop at the Horace Harding Expressway.

Westbound QM44 service begins at 164th Street and the Horace Harding Expressway, and then turns onto Jewel Avenue picking up passengers. Once the route reaches Queens Boulevard, the bus stops picking up passengers. The bus route then continues via Queens Boulevard until it turns onto the Long Island Expressway. It then goes under the East River through the Queens Midtown Tunnel. Once in Manhattan the bus goes via Third Avenue until its last stop at 56th Street.

QM44 service only operates during rush hours in the peak direction.

History

In November 1949, the Queens Valley Home Owners' Association of Kew Gardens Hills proposed an extension of the city's Q44 Vleigh Place shuttle bus (later the Q74) west from its northern terminus at Jewel Avenue and Main Street to the 71st–Continental Avenues subway station of the IND Queens Boulevard Line in Forest Hills, to give Kew Gardens Hills additional bus service. It would have created a loop service between the 71st Avenue station and the nearby Kew Gardens – Union Turnpike station of the same line, running via Main Street. The proposed route was numbered as the Q75. The proposal was submitted to the New York City Board of Transportation on March 20, 1951. On June 19, transit officials informed the Board of Estimate it wouldn't be advisable to extend that route. In response, Queens–Nassau Transit (the predecessor to the Queens Surface Corporation) proposed the Q65A bus to run along the entire length of Jewel Avenue between 164th Street to the 71st Avenue station at Queens Boulevard. In an alternate proposal, Queens–Nassau Transit proposed having the route terminate at the 75th Avenue subway station, in between the 71st Avenue and Union Turnpike stops. The Q65A's introduction was also meant to help alleviate congestion at the Union Turnpike subway station. The Queens Valley Association opposed the Q65A proposal, due to it only serving the northern portion of Kew Gardens Hills. It also opposed the 75th Avenue terminus, as 75th Avenue is a local station.

The Board of Estimate approved Queens-Nassau Transit's proposal on August 17, 1951. On November 14, 1951, bus service began on the Q65A. The route was originally a spur of the Q65, for which the bus route was named. On August 2, 1953, the Q65A's terminal route was changed. Originally Q65A bus traveled east on Jewel Avenue all the way to 164th Street, until they looped around at 165th Street. The route was changed so that buses would turn south on Parsons Boulevard, east on 71st Avenue, and then north on 164th Street to the terminus at Jewel Avenue; this is the current routing of the bus line. The change was met with resentment from the local community due to the opening of Public School 200 at 164th Street and 71st Avenue. Queens-Nassau would become the Queens Transit Corporation in 1957. In 1964, City Councilman Seymour Boyers of Flushing proposed extending the Q65A to 188th Street and 73rd Avenue, via 164th Street and 73rd Avenue. The proposed extension would have provided additional access to Queens College, providing an alternate route to the Q17, would provide an access route to the World's Fair, and it would provide access to the IND subway station at 71st Avenue, which would have relieved congestion at the Kew Gardens subway station.

Service on the QM4 began on August 16, 1971 being operated by Queens Transit Corporation. Service was not originally given a number, but was called the Jewel Avenue–Flushing/Hillcrest Express. Originally some buses started at Kissena Boulevard instead of the Long Island Expressway. The bus company would become Queens-Steinway Transit Corporation in 1986, before finally becoming Queens Surface Corporation in 1988.

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. On September 2, 2008, the Q65A was renumbered to the Q64. Until 2010, the Q64 operated out of College Point Depot (the former Queens Surface garage), but since then it has been operating out of the Baisley Park Depot (the former Jamaica Buses facility) in South Jamaica. On September 8, 2013, overnight service was added making the Q64 a 24/7 bus route, and eliminating the gap in service between 2:30 and 4:00 AM.

On July 5, 2016, the branch of the QM4 along Third Avenue was relabeled as the QM44 as part of the renumbering of Queens express routes' Third Avenue branches.