Q37 (New York City bus) - Wikiwand (2025)

Early operation

This route was originally operated by General Omnibus Company, which was incorporated on October 13, 1933. Service on this route began in January 1934.^[6]

In 1936, Queens was divided into four zones for bus operating franchise purposes. With the new zone setup, one company would be awarded the franchise in each zone, with any remaining smaller operations acquired by the larger company. The Q37 fell into Zone C, the zone for Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, and the Rockaways, and the route was awarded to Green Bus Lines.^[7][8]

On May 19, 1938, the New York State Transit Commission approved a modification in the Q37's route, creating a terminal loop at its Jamaica Avenue terminus instead of having the route make a U-turn on 111th Street.^[9]

On April 15, 1941, the president and treasurer of Green Bus Lines applied for a franchise to extend the Q37 from the south side of Jamaica Avenue north to Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens, providing a connection to the Queens Boulevard subway line. Their franchise application called for an extension of the route along 111th Street to Myrtle Avenue, and then along Park Lane South, Park Lane and Union Turnpike to the subway, with buses continuing along Kew Gardens and 80th Road to head back into service in the other direction. It was expected that, at the earliest, the franchise would be awarded in September.^[10] The Board of Estimate approved the extension on June 26.^[11]

On November 18, 1941, a certificate of convenience and necessity for the extension was granted.^[12][13] The extension was inaugurated five days later.^[14] Prior to the extension, Q37 riders who needed to travel to the subway had to pay an additional nickel fare to transfer to another bus.^[15] The extension had been sought out by the Richmond Hill Civic Association and the Richmond Hill Board of Trade.^[16]

MTA takeover

On January 9, 2006, the MTA Bus Company took over the operations of the Green Bus Line routes.^[17][18][19]

On October 30, 2011, daily service via Aqueduct Racetrack was added, to serve the Resorts World Casino. Also on this date, the Q37 was rerouted to operate on 133rd Avenue, Lefferts Boulevard and 135th Avenue, in both directions. Service on 116th Street was discontinued.^[1][20][21]

To provide more reliable service, the Q37's terminal loop was changed on February 24, 2013, with southbound buses heading toward the terminal at 150th Avenue and 149th Avenue traveling along South Conduit Avenue between 130th Street and 134th Street instead of along 150th Avenue. The southbound stop at 150th Avenue and 130th Street was moved one block to the north at South Conduit Avenue. The route was changed in order to avoid congestion at the sanitation yard on 150th Avenue. An additional reason for the change was to allow buses to avoid making a turn onto South Conduit Avenue from 132nd Street, because there is no traffic light at this intersection and vehicles often pass at high speeds, often causing severe delays. Additionally, 132nd Street is a narrow residential block.^[22][23]

On September 3, 2017, due to low ridership at Resorts World Casino, alternate weekday rush hour trips started bypassing the casino and were labeled Q37B.^[24] In July 2018, the MTA indicated that it would truncate the southern terminus of the Q37 bus to 131st Street and 135th Road. This was partially because of congestion on 130th Street that is caused by traffic from PS/MS 124 and a New York City Department of Sanitation facility; and partially because of low ridership along that part of the route, which sees about 300 riders on an average weekday. The Q10 continued to provide alternate service in the area.^[2]

Bus redesign

In December 2019, the MTA released a draft redesign of the Queens bus network.^[25][26] As part of the redesign, the Q37 would have been replaced by a "neighborhood" route called the QT37, which would be straightened in South Ozone Park, using to use Rockaway Boulevard, Lefferts Boulevard, and 135th Avenue.^[27] The redesign was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020,^[28] and the original draft plan was dropped due to negative feedback.^[29]

A revised plan was released in March 2022.^[30] The planned modifications of the Q37 in the new plan are similar to those proposed in the 2019 plan.^[31]

A final bus-redesign plan was released in December 2023.^[32][33] The Q37 would be extended to the AirTrain JFK's Lefferts Boulevard station, traveling via 130th Street, 134th Street, and Pan Am Road. The route would be straightened along Rockaway and Lefferts Boulevards in South Ozone Park, and it would also start running 24/7.^[34]

On December 17, 2024, addendums to the final plan were released.^[35][36] Among these, bus stops on the Q37 were rearranged, and the South Ozone Park terminal and current service patterns were retained.^[37] On January 29, 2025, the current plan was approved by the MTA Board,^[38] and the Queens Bus Redesign will go into effect in two different phases during Summer 2025.^[39]