Commuters headed to Queens Borough Hall Wednesday night for a meeting to provide feedback on the Queens Bus Network Redesign.

According to MTA officials, the proposed plan will increase 113 bus routes to 121 in the borough.  


What You Need To Know

  • Commuters headed to Queens Borough Hall for a final opportunity to give feedback on the Queens Bus Network Redesign

  • According to MTA officials, the redesign aims to make commutes more reliable, faster and with better connections

  • One commuter from South Ozone Park criticized the plan because it will make her commute more expensive and complex

  • One hundred and forty speakers were signed up for the meeting. According to the MTA, after the meeting, the agency will have a better idea on a timeline for the redesign

It also aims to expand service, accessibility and make it easier for people to commute.

But not every commuter thinks it is going to improve things.

“It’s going to have me needing to do one bus one train to possibly two to three buses,” Nia Rollins, a lifelong South Ozone Park resident, said after giving her feedback at the podium.

She said the new redesign will make her commute more complex and expensive.

“I feel like we are being strong armed into this were being blind sighted actually,” Rollins said.

Len Maniace, another commuter, wants to see more direct bus service — similar to the 14th Street and 125th Street select bus services in Manhattan.

“What we’re looking for is express bus service. Select bus service is what the city calls it would run on Northern Boulevard from Flushing through the various neighborhoods into Manhattan,” Maniace said.

State Sen. John Liu, who represents northeast Queens, criticized the proposed changes from the MTA.

“They talked about a new express bus route the Q65, which I’m excited about, but they forget to mention the fact they are cutting every other express bus route from Queens to Manhattan,” Liu said.

The MTA unveiled this latest version of the plan in December and shared the purpose of this specific meeting.

“The reality is we want to hear the feedback. We want to get it right,” Demetrius Crichlow, interim president of the New York City Transit, said.

The MTA said after the meeting Wednesday night, they will have a better idea on a timeline for implementing the changes.