Queens

, Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Methodology
This study evaluates current bus service in Northeast Queens using various sources of data and community
input. These data primarily include Bus Time GPS data and Automatic Fare Collection MetroCard data.
This study examined a large amount of archived Bus Time data, integrated with Automatic Fare Collection
(AFC) data from MetroCards. The data were captured and analyzed to evaluate bus service, performance,
and ridership. This methodology provided service planners with a comprehensive dataset based on 100%
of actual data.
Since the launch of Bus Time for Queens buses in 2014, real time automatic vehicle location information
is available for all buses. These data are captured and stored to evaluate bus service, performance, and
ridership, supplementing the prior system of manual data sampling with traffic counts. With the data
captured from Bus Time, wait assessment and on‐time performance data are calculated. These metrics,
along with service availability and passenger environment scores, were evaluated to determine quality of
service. Automatic Fare Collection MetroCard data provided ridership and transfer information.
Community input was received at meetings of the Public Transit/Transportation Committees of Queens
Community Boards 7, 8, 11, and 13 between October 2014 and April 2015, as well as a public workshop
held on February 26, 2015 at Queensborough Community College. More than 100 participants attended
the Northeast Queens Bus Study Public Workshop. This provided an opportunity for community residents
to speak directly to bus service planners about bus service in the area. Further comments were collected
by the office of Senator Avella and forwarded to the MTA for consideration and analysis.
Characteristics of Northeast Queens
Northeast Queens is a large area that covers 31 square miles. The study area is bounded by Flushing Bay
and the Van Wyck Expressway to the west, Hillside Avenue to the south, the Nassau County line to the
east, and the East River to the north.
This study area is composed of the following neighborhoods: Flushing, Whitestone, Bay Terrace, Bayside,
College Point, Oakland Gardens, Douglaston, Glen Oaks, Fresh Meadows, Little Neck, Mitchell‐Linden,
Bowne Park, Beechhurst, Bellerose, Fort Totten, Malba, Robinwood, Auburndale, Floral Park, Hollis Hills,
Queens Village, and New Hyde Park in addition to others. Northeast Queens spans Community Boards
7,8,11, and 13. Downtown Flushing is the major economic center and transportation hub within the area.
Major educational institutions include Queens College, St. Johns University, and Queensborough
Community College. There are also several large high schools within the study area. Schools are one of
the largest generators of bus customers in Northeast Queens. Other community facilities and parks in the
study area include Queens Botanical Garden, Kissena Park, Queens County Farm Museum and Alley Pond
Park. Large institutions such as the NY Hospital Center of Queens, Long Island Jewish Hospital, Creedmoor
State Hospital, and Flushing Hospital are also located in the area.
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