Bx23 and Q50 buses

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bx23
q50
Pelham Bay−Co-op City
Flushing–Bronx
Former QBx1
Eastchester Depot[1]
VehicleOrion VII NG HEV
New Flyer Xcelsior XD40
Began serviceSeptember 12, 2010 (Bx23 & Q50)[2]: 4 [3][4][5]
Route
LocaleThe Bronx and Queens, New York, U.S.
StartQ50: Flushing, Queens – 39th Avenue / Main Street station
Bx23: Pelham Bay, Bronx – Pelham Bay Park station
ViaCo-op City Boulevard
Q50: Bruckner Boulevard, Bronx–Whitestone Bridge
EndCo-op City, Bronx
Bx23: Via Sections 1-2-3-4-5 or 5-4-3-2-1,[a] then returns to Pelham Bay
Q50: Section 5[a] – Earhart Lane and Erskine Place (Rush Hours)
  • Q50 off-peak terminates at Pelham Bay Park station
LengthQ50: 12.2 miles (19.6 km)
Bx23: 6.3 miles (10.1 km)
Service
OperatesAll times except late nights[6][7]
Annual patronageQ50: 907,351 (2022)[8]
Bx23: 764,974 (2022)[8]
TransfersYes
TimetableBx23 Q50
← 
Q49
 {{{system_nav}}} 
Q52 SBS
 →

The Bx23 and Q50

MTA Bus Company brand of MTA Regional Bus Operations
, and are the only two local routes in the Bronx to operate under the MTA Bus brand, rather than under the MaBSOTA brand that all other Bronx bus routes operate under.

The two routes are the successor to the QBx1 route, privately operated by the Queens Surface Corporation until 2005, when the route was taken over by the MTA. This route ran several confusing service patterns between Co-op City and Pelham Bay, with only select runs continuing to Flushing. In September 2010, to simplify service in the Bronx and to provide full-time service between Queens and the Bronx, the QBx1 was split into the Bx23 and Q50.

Route description and service

Former QBx1

Bx23 buses running in 5-4-3-2-1 (top) and 1-2-3-4-5 (bottom) service patterns at adjacent stops near the Pelham Bay Park station

The original QBx1 service began at the

Pelham Bay Park subway station. This section is shared with the Bx5. Only selected buses ran between Flushing and Pelham Bay; most QBx1 runs remained in the Bronx.[2]: 11, 14 [3][9][10]

North of Pelham Bay Park, the QBx1 ran several different services to different parts of Co-op City. The full route circumscribed the entire development, running (clockwise) north along the New England Thruway service road to Bartow Avenue (near the current Bay Plaza Shopping Center), through Section 1, via the Dreiser Loop, through Sections 2 and 3, via the Asch Loop in Section 4, and through Section 5 before returning to Pelham Bay. This pattern operated clockwise (sections 1-2-3-4-5) or counterclockwise (sections 5-4-3-2-1).[a] The full Flushing−Co-op City service either ran clockwise from Flushing or counterclockwise to Flushing.[2]: 11, 14 [9][10]

The QBx1 operated a total of ten service patterns, varying on the time of day.[2]: 5  During weekday off-peak hours and weekends, the route operated either between Flushing and all five sections of Co-op City, or as a circulatory shuttle service between Pelham Bay and the five sections. During the AM peak a total of five service patterns were used. The three primary AM patterns were Pelham Bay to Bellamy Loop, serving Section 3 via sections 1-2-3; Pelham Bay to Asch Loop, serving Section 4 only; and Pelham Bay running clockwise via Bartow Avenue, serving Sections 4 and 5 before returning to Pelham Bay. The intermittent service to and from Flushing ran via the Bellamy Loop route. The three PM peak hour services were Flushing to Pelham Bay and Bellamy Loop; Pelham Bay to Bellamy Loop; and Pelham Bay running counterclockwise to Sections 5 and 4, Asch Loop, and back to Pelham Bay.[a][2]: 5 [9][10] While this structure provided direct service to individual sections of Co-op City, the structure was considered confusing and inconvenient due to the many different service patterns under one route designation, and the lack of service between Queens and the Bronx.[2]: 5 [3][10]

The following table shows the variants of the QBx1:[2]: 5 [9][10]

Variant Flushing Pelham Bay Park (CW) Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4 Section 5 Pelham Bay Park (CCW)
Off-peak  
Off-peak  
AM peak  
AM peak   Skipped  
AM peak Skipped
AM peak   Skipped  
AM peak  
PM peak   Skipped  
PM peak  
PM peak Skipped ← 

Current bus service

Orion V
bus on Q50 service near the Main Street station in Downtown Flushing

The Bx23 constitutes a simplified version of the former QBx1 route between Pelham Bay Park and Co-op City, running either clockwise (1-2-3-4-5) or counterclockwise (5-4-3-2-1) before returning to Pelham Bay.

At Pelham Bay Park, both directions of Bx23 and Q50 service share three adjacent bus stops on the southbound Bruckner Boulevard to the south of the subway station. The southernmost stop at the intersection of Bruckner and Amendola Place is used by Flushing-bound Q50 service. The middle stop is used by all clockwise Co-Op City service (Q50 buses to Section 5 and Bx23 buses via 1-2-3-4-5). The northernmost stop is used by Bx23 buses operating the counterclockwise loop. Because of this setup, Bronx-bound Q50 buses must U-turn at Westchester Avenue to stop at Pelham Bay, then U-turn again towards Co-op City.[11][13]

Prior to 2014, the Bx23 employed additional service patterns during rush hours, similar to its predecessor route. Buses would travel via 1-2-3-4 (AM rush) or 4-3-2-1 (PM rush) and return to Pelham Bay, or directly to Section 5 via Bartow Avenue/Bay Plaza/Section 4 (clockwise AM; counterclockwise PM) and return to Pelham Bay. This was eliminated to maintain one consistent service pattern at all times, and allow service between all sections of Co-op City at all times.[2]: 11–12 [16]

The Bx23 and Q50 are two of the several local bus routes to serve Co-op City, which is heavily dependent on bus service. They are among four routes (along with the

Bx12 SBS) to feed into Pelham Bay Park station from the neighborhood, and the only two to serve all five sections of the development (except for the late night Bx28 service).[2]: 10–11 [15]

History

Two former Queens Surface buses on the QBx1 under MTA operations before (left) and after (right) repainting into MTA colors. Both buses have since been retired.

The QBx1 was in operation since at least the mid-1960s under the Queens Transit Corporation, labeled the "Bx1" on Queens bus maps.[17] The route originally operated between Flushing and Pelham Bay Park.[18] By 1968, the QBx1 was extended to Co-op City.[19] The bus company would become Queens-Steinway Transit Corporation in 1986, and Queens Surface Corporation in 1988.[20]

On February 27, 2005, the

MTA Bus Company took over the operations of the Queens Surface routes as part of the city's takeover of all the remaining privately operated bus routes.[21][22]

In 2009, ten buses from the

Bruckner Boulevard, to connect with a pedestrian overpass to the Country Club neighborhood.[24]

QBx1 split

On September 12, 2010, the QBx1 was split into the Q50 Limited and Bx23 routes, simplifying the many service patterns of the former QBx1 route, but eliminating direct service between Pelham Bay and the individual sections of Co-op City.[2]: 4 [3][4][5] In addition, the changes were made in conjunction with controversial cuts in service to other Co-op City routes during the MTA's 2010 budget crisis,[25] and received negative input from the community.[2]: 4 [4][26][27]

On June 29, 2014, the rush hour service pattern of the Bx23 was eliminated, with the off-peak pattern going into effect at all times. In addition, a stop on the Bx23 was added at Adler Place in the Asch Loop. A stop for the Q50 was also added outside the Dreiser Loop.[28][29] These changes were the result of a study of bus routes in Co-op City.[2]: 8 [26]

Bus redesigns

As part of the MTA's

2017 Fast Forward Plan to speed up mass transit service, a draft plan for a reorganization of Bronx bus routes was proposed in draft format in June 2019, with a final version published in October 2019. The Bronx draft plan called for the Bx23 to be the sole route serving Co-op City; many of the draft proposals were not included in the final version. These changes were set to take effect in mid-2020.[30][31] The final Bronx bus plan did not modify the Bx23's routing or stop locations, though the frequency of the route was to be increased.[32]: 91  Additionally, in December 2019, the MTA released a draft redesign of the Queens bus network.[33][34] As part of the Queens redesign, the Q50 would have become the QT50, extended to LaGuardia Airport; the northern section in Co-op City would have been truncated.[35]

Both redesigns were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020.[36][37] The original Queens draft plan was dropped due to negative feedback,[38] while the implementation of the Bronx redesign was postponed to mid-2022.[39][40] A revised Queens draft plan was released in March 2022.[41] The plan for the Q50 is similar to that in the 2019 redesign and would still serve LaGuardia Airport.[42] The Bronx bus redesign took effect on June 26, 2022;[43][44] as part of the Bronx redesign, the Q50 only served Co-op City during rush hours, terminating at Pelham Bay Park during all other times.[12] A final bus redesign plan was released in December 2023.[45][46] The Q50 would still be extended to LaGuardia Airport but would use Roosevelt Avenue instead, taking over the routing of the previous Q48 route. The Q50 would also start running 24/7.[47]

Bike racks

Bike racks installed on a Q50 bus in Flushing in 2018

In April 1994, bike racks were installed onto QBx1 buses to carry bicycles over the Whitestone Bridge. This was the first bike-on-bus program in the city.[48] The service was offered on a seasonal basis (April to September), with pick-up/drop-off points at 20th Avenue in Whitestone, Queens and Lafayette Avenue near Ferry Point Park in the Bronx.[49] However, the bike-on-bus program was eliminated on February 27, 2005, the same day as the MTA takeover.[50]

In 2017, it was announced that bike racks would be installed on the fronts of Bx23 and Q50 buses by spring 2018. Each rack, mounted on the front of each bus, would be able to carry two bicycles.

S93 routes in Staten Island had been the first routes to receive the racks.[3][53] The expanded program restored bike racks on the Flushing to Co-op City bus corridor for the first time since 2005.[52] On July 1, 2018, bike rack service was inaugurated on the Bx23 and Q50 routes.[54][55]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d The sections are:[2]: A III 
    • Section 1 is the northwestern section, north of Harry Truman High School.
    • Section 2 is the northeastern section, east of Harry Truman High School.
    • Section 3 is the western section, west of Bartow Mall Shopping Center.
    • Section 4 is the eastern section, east of Bartow Mall Shopping Center.
    • Section 5 is the southeastern section, east and south of the Hutchinson River Parkway.

References

  1. MTA Bus Company. 2016. Archived
    from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Review of Bus Service & Performance in Co-op City with Recommendations for Service Enhancements" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Northeast Queens Bus Study" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Reyes, Lennin (November 24, 2011). "Confusing Bus Riders One Cut at a Time". The Bronx Journal. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "MTA Bus Service Changes". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. November 2010. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c MTA Regional Bus Operations. "Bx23 bus schedule".
  7. ^ a b c MTA Regional Bus Operations. "Q50 bus schedule".
  8. ^ a b "Facts and Figures". mta.info. August 28, 2011. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  9. ^
    MTA Bus Company. 2009. Archived
    (PDF) from the original on January 11, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d e * Urbitran Associates, Inc (May 2004). "NYCDOT Bus Ridership Survey and Route Analysis Final Report: Chapter 3 Transit System Characteristics" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. pp. 72–73. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  11. ^ a b "MTA Bus Time: Bx23 Pelham Bay – Co-Op City". mta.info. MTA Bus Time. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Bronx Local Bus Network Redesign: Q50 LTD". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 26, 2022. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  13. ^ a b "MTA Bus Time: Q50 Co-Op City/Pelham Bay – Flushing". mta.info. MTA Bus Time. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
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  15. ^ a b "Bronx Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  16. MTA Bus Company. 2013. Archived from the original
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  20. from the original on May 16, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
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External links

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