By Ayala Ben-Yehuda
Commuters in northeast Queens will have to wait a little longer for a bus during the evening rush hour this spring if New York City Transit implements its proposed cost-saving changes to bus schedules throughout the city.
The 86 bus route changes, which involve 74 routes citywide, are scheduled to take effect in April, according to a Jan. 16 letter to Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside) from New York City Transit President Lawrence Reuter.
“These schedule revisions are a product of our continuing review and adjustment of schedules to ensure that they accurately meet both customer demand and current operating conditions,” Reuter said.
The changes will save New York City Transit more than $1.2 million a year, Reuter said.
In eastern Queens, weekday routes affected by the changes include the Q16, the Q30 and Q31.
The Q16, which operates between Flushing and Fort Totten, will run every 7 1/2 minutes during morning peak hours instead of every 8 1/2.
But the wait time in the evening peak hours will increase from the current 8 1/2 minutes to a 10-minute wait between Q16 buses.
The wait for the Q30, which runs between Jamaica and Little Neck, will increase from nine to 10 minutes from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from six to 7 1/2 minutes during the evening rush.
And riders on the Q31 between Jamaica and Bayside will wait half a minute longer during evening peak hours.
“While I support the addition of an a.m. trip on the Q16 line, I am totally against the p.m./evening reductions on all three lines and the midday reduction on the Q30 line,” said Avella in a letter of response to Reuter Friday. “Northeast Queens is underserved by mass transit. My constituents depend on reliable and timely bus service. Any reduction in service is unacceptable.”
Reach reporter Ayala Ben-Yehuda by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
