Improvements to the Q70 Bus for Travel Between LGA and NYC

Approximately two years ago, I wrote about transportation from New York City to LaGuardia Airport.  There was the M60 Bus from upper Manhattan, and the then new Q70 bus (see blog post: The M60 SBS and Q70 Buses from LGA to NYC).

As I wrote:

The Q70 bus is a limited bus that essentially makes only two stops en route to/from the terminals at LGA.  It is a faster option from Queens or Manhattan because it avoids street traffic in Manhattan.  It is also a great option for travel to or from Long Island since it stops at the Woodside Long Island RailRoad station.  The Q70 Bus only makes two non-LGA stops – at Woodside LIRR and at the Jackson Heights- Roosevelt Avenue subway stop  (the E, M, F, R and 7 trains all stop there).

Here is an updated link for Airport Service (LGA and JFK) with MTA Buses, Subways and Commuter Rail. 

The Q70 has become so popular it is now renamed the LAGUARDIA LINK and it is now a Select Bus Service (SBS).

What does that mean?

It means that, for example, when going from NYC to LGA, when you arrive at the Roosevelt Avenue-Jackson Heights subway station, you then pre-pay for your bus ticket at a machine at the bus-stop using a Metrocard (probably the same Metrocard you just used for the subway portion of the commute). You will receive a paper receipt and then can board the bus through any door, without having to wait on a line to pay the bus driver. You must hold onto the receipt for the duration of the ride in case a Transit Officer boards the bus and asks to see your receipt.

The SBS procedure improves both speed and reliability of the bus service.  (The M60 Bus is already a Select Bus).

The second change is the placement of the Q70 bus stop at the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue Subway stop.  Until now, it has been on the street. Now, it is moved to a bus terminal stop at its own bay. This too, should improve the process and make the wait more comfortable for the commuter.

The entire trip costs only $2.75 as there is a free transfer from the subway to the bus (and vice-versa).

I often take the M60 bus or a taxi to the airport when traveling from my home, but I did go the Q70 bus route last week when I was traveling from my office downtown.

The ride all worked smoothly until we got to the airport. The bus stops first at Terminal B (serving United Airlines, Jet Blue and others), before looping back around and going to Terminals D and C (serving American and Delta Airlines).  See, diagram below.

There has been a huge amount of congestion at LGA recently. A word of advice: if you see that traffic is backed up and you don’t have a lot of baggage (and you’re not wearing high heels), you might want to exit the bus at Terminal B and walk ten minutes to Terminal C or D (which are connected) rather than waiting for what feels like an eternity.