Q4 (New York City bus)

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q4
q4
Q85 Merrick/Conduit Blvds
Service
Operates24 hours[3]
Annual patronage1,306,475 (2023)[4]
TransfersYes
TimetableQ4
← Q3  {{{system_nav}}} 
Q5
 →

The Q4

public transit corridor running along Merrick Boulevard and the easternmost portion of Linden Boulevard in southeastern Queens, New York City. The route runs from the Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer station to Cambria Heights near the Queens–Nassau County border. The Q4 also provides limited-stop service along the corridor during peak weekday hours. The route is now operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations under the New York City Transit
brand.

What is now the Q4 began service in November 1919, running from Jamaica to 201st Street in St. Albans. The franchise was extended to 223rd Street in Cambria Heights in 1931. The Q4 was originally operated by Bee-Line Incorporated and later the North Shore Bus Company until 1947. The Jamaica terminal has been changed several times throughout the route's history.

Route description and service

The Q4 begins at Bay C of the

Q84 (formerly the Q4A). The Q4 then diverges east along Linden Boulevard, running through St. Albans and Cambria Heights. The route terminates at 235th Street adjacent to the Cross Island Parkway, which marks the border with North Valley Stream in Nassau County. Travel into Nassau County requires walking several blocks east to Elmont Road to transfer to the n1 route of the Nassau Inter-County Express.[3][5][6][7][8][9]

During weekday rush-hour periods, the Q4 employs limited-stop service. These buses skip all stops north of Liberty Avenue and Merrick Boulevard, using a bypass via 160th Street and Liberty Avenue, and make all local stops east of Francis Lewis Boulevard (near Springfield Boulevard). Limited-stop buses operate in both directions during AM rush hours, and towards Cambria Heights only during PM rush hours (during summer weekdays: mornings toward Jamaica and afternoons toward Cambria Heights). During the morning rush period, alternate peak-direction (Jamaica-bound) local buses begin service at Francis Lewis Boulevard.[3][5][6][10]

The Q4 operates out of the Jamaica Bus Depot on Merrick Boulevard near Jamaica Center, as do several other routes in southeast Queens.[11]

Express bus service

Main article: List of express bus routes in New York City

The

Van Wyck Expressway, and Queens Boulevard towards Midtown Manhattan.[6][7]

History

1910s to 1930s

What is now the Q4 began service in November 1919, running from

Union Hall Street station in Jamaica along Merrick Road (Merrick Boulevard) and Central Avenue (also known as Foch Boulevard or Westchester Avenue; today's Linden Boulevard)[12] to Bank Street (now 201st Street) in St. Albans, just west of Francis Lewis Boulevard.[13] In December 1923,[14] Bee Line, Inc started operating the route. At this time, service on the eastern portion of the line to Springfield Avenue (Springfield Boulevard) was provided by Bee Line's Farmers Avenue (Farmers Boulevard) route (today's Q3).[12][15][16][17] The exception was a three-week period in July 1927, when Merrick Boulevard-Central Avenue service was extended east to Springfield during construction on Farmers Avenue.[16][17][18]

Bee Line originally operated from 163rd Street and

Q84 route) to 196th Street.[12] In January 1931, the city altered the franchise (designated "Q-4") to continue on Central Avenue to 223rd Street in Cambria Heights.[23]

On August 11, 1936, the Bee-Line routes were moved to the newly opened

169th Street station of the IND Queens Boulevard Line, on October 27, 1939.[8][32]

1940s to 2000s

In early 1945, the Q4 was extended from 227th Street to its current terminus at 235th Street near the county line.[33] At this time, short run service was operated to Francis Lewis Boulevard.[34] Following the extension, the route was frequented by residents of nearby Valley Stream towards Jamaica. This led to crowding on the route and complaints from Queens passengers.[34][35][36][37] On March 30, 1947, North Shore Bus would be taken over by the New York City Board of Transportation (later the New York City Transit Authority [NYCTA]), making the bus routes city operated.[32][38][39] Under municipal operations, service on the Q4 was increased on April 3 of that year.[38][40]

On October 5, 1983, the NYCTA held a public hearing on a proposal to introduce zone express service on the Q4, with short-line local service from Francis Lewis Boulevard. With the addition of seven buses in the a.m., service would run every two minutes from Francis Lewis Boulevard. Buses would be added to allow service to run every three minutes in the evening.

Archer Avenue Subway, the northern terminal of the Q4, Q4A, and the other Merrick Boulevard routes was moved to the Jamaica Center Bus Terminal.[42][43][44] The same day, the Q4A was renumbered Q84.[45] In January 1993, the Merrick Boulevard routes began traveling on Archer Avenue in both directions; previously, northbound buses traveled along Archer Avenue, while southbound buses traveled via Jamaica Avenue.[46][47] In September 2003, limited service on the Q4, Q5, and Q85 was expanded during AM rush hours, beginning earlier in the morning.[48] On January 14, 2004, the MTA instituted the current limited-stop bypass in the Jamaica business district via Liberty Avenue and 160th Street. Reverse-peak limited-stop service was also added to the Q4 during morning hours.[10]

2010s to present

A 2015 Nova Bus LFS (8421) on the Cambria Heights-bound Q4 Limited at Merrick Blvd/Sayres Ave in June 2019

In December 2019, the MTA released a draft redesign of the Queens bus network.[49][50] As part of the redesign, the Q4 would have been replaced by a "subway connector" bus route, the QT40, with a nonstop section on Merrick Boulevard.[51] The redesign was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020,[52] and the original draft plan was dropped due to negative feedback.[53] A revised plan was released in March 2022.[54] As part of the new plan, the Q4 would mostly keep its existing route but will have a nonstop section on Merrick Boulevard. At its eastern end, the Q4 would be extended into Elmont, New York. A second route would run along Linden Boulevard as well called the Q51, a crosstown or Select Bus Service route that would run from Gateway Center Mall to the Q4's current eastern terminus, replacing and making the Q4 Limited stops east of Merrick Boulevard.[55]

As part of a pilot program by the MTA to make five bus routes free (one in each borough), the Q4 was selected alongside the

S46/96 to become fare-free in July 2023.[56][57] The pilot program would last six to twelve months and buses would display a "Fare Free" sign, similar to the one used on the Q70.[58] The pilot was only supposed to run from September 24, 2023 until March 30, 2024, but it was extended in March 2024 to run until further notice.[59][60][61] Though ten U.S. Congress members requested in April 2024 that the state government provide additional funding for the fare-free pilot program,[62][63] state lawmakers declined to reauthorize funding for the program.[64] The fare-free program ended on August 31, 2024.[65][66]

A final bus-redesign plan was released in December 2023.[67][68] The Q4 would still become a zone route, with a nonstop section on Merrick Boulevard, but the route would not be extended into Elmont. The Q51 would also be created along Linden Boulevard but would be a limited-stop route with more stops than the original Q51 crosstown/Select Bus Service plan.[69]

On December 17, 2024, addendums to the final plan were released.[70][71] Among these, stop changes were made and the Q4 will retain its route to Jamaica via Merrick Boulevard and Archer Avenue.[72] On January 29, 2025, the current plan was approved by the MTA Board,[73] and the Queens Bus Redesign will go into effect in two different phases during Summer 2025.[74]

See also

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References

  1. ^ New York City Board of Estimate (September 19, 1938). "Hearing-Omnibus Operations" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. p. 8. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Notice of Public Hearing: Franchise Matters" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. January 27, 1939. p. 19. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c MTA Regional Bus Operations. "Q4 bus schedule".
  4. ^ "Subway and bus ridership for 2023". mta.info. April 29, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
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