Jamaica Buses

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Jamaica Buses
NYCDOTJBIlogo.JPG
MTA Bus GMC RTS 1142.jpg
Ex-Jamaica Bus #556 on MTA Bus's Q47 route in Jackson Heights.
ParentGTJ Reit Incorporated
Founded1930
Defunct2006
Headquarters114-15 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard
South Jamaica, NY 11434-1296

Jamaica Buses, Inc., also known as Jamaica Bus Lines [1] or the Jamaica Bus Company, [2] was a bus company in New York City, United States, operating local service in Queens and express service to Manhattan until January 30, 2006, when the MTA Bus Company took over its operations.

Contents

The president of Jamaica Buses, and GTJ Reit Inc. was the late Jerome Cooper (August 14, 1928 – May 20, 2015, aged 86). [3] [4] Its facility was located on 114-15 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard in South Jamaica, Queens.

From 1954 to 1995, Jamaica Buses, also provided charter services. [5]

History

After the bankruptcy of the Long Island Electric Railway in 1926, the company's trolley lines in Nassau County were disestablished, however the ones in Queens survived, and the company was reorganized as the Jamaica Central Railways. This company would continue to operate streetcars for another six years. Upon reestablishment, the company purchased used trolley cars from companies such as the Empire State Railroad of Oswego, and the New York and Stamford Railway. Many of these cars dated back as far as 1911 and proved to be defective when used on the Far Rockaway Line. The conditions became so dangerous that by the Summer of 1930 the New York State Public Service Commission intervened and demanded that they trade the cars in for those from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. Unfortunately, those cars proved to be inadequate, and that line was eventually abandoned. Cars on other lines inherited from the LIER did not suffer such misfortunes.

In 1930, the City of New York granted the company a bus franchise service named Jamaica Buses, a subsidiary of Jamaica Central Railways. Bus operation over all the former JCR trolley lines began on November 12, 1933; this coincided with the widening of Jamaica Avenue, and the removal of the trolley tracks on the former routes. [6] [7] The company was acquired by the stockholders of Green Bus Lines in April 1949 after financial troubles, but also continued to operate independently. [1] [6] The change in ownership took effect on April 13, 1949, with Green Lines paying $200,000. [8] In 1971 the QM21 express route to Manhattan was initiated.

Bus routes

Two former Jamaica Bus services, the Q112 (left) and Q114 (right; formerly the Q113 local), at Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica. MTA Parsons 88th Av 01.JPG
Two former Jamaica Bus services, the Q112 (left) and Q114 (right; formerly the Q113 local), at Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica.

Just prior to MTA Bus takeover, Jamaica Buses operated on the following routes that are now based in Baisley Park Bus Depot, the former company facility. [9] [10] All four local routes shared a northern terminal in Jamaica, Queens at the Parsons Boulevard subway station at Hillside Avenue. [11] Old route designations can also be found in the local routes.

Route
(Former)		Terminal AMajor streets of travelTerminal BNotes
Queens Local
Q110
(A) [6] [12] 		Jamaica
88th Avenue and Parsons Boulevard
at Parsons Boulevard (  E  ​  F    <F>  trains)
or
179th Street and Hillside Avenue
at Jamaica – 179th Street (  E  ​  F    <F>  trains)		Jamaica Avenue, Hempstead Avenue Elmont
Belmont Park
  • Original Jamaica terminus was 168th Street station, [13] the former terminus of the surface line. [14]
Q111
(B) [6] 		Jamaica
88th Avenue and Parsons Boulevard
at Parsons Boulevard (  E  ​  F    <F>  trains)		Guy R. Brewer Boulevard Rosedale
147th Avenue/Hook Creek Boulevard
- or -

Cedarhurst
Peninsula Boulevard/Rockaway Turnpike

Q112
(C) [6] [12] 		South Road, Liberty Avenue Ozone Park
Rockaway Boulevard/98th Street
at Rockaway Boulevard (  A  train)
  • Original Jamaica terminus was 168th Street station on the BMT Jamaica Line. [13]
Q113
(B); (D) [6] [12] 		Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, Rockaway Boulevard,
Central Avenue, Beach 9th Street		 Far Rockaway
Seagirt Boulevard and Beach 20th Street
Queens-Manhattan express
QM21 Gramercy Park Manhattan: 23rd Street, Madison Avenue, 57th Street
Queens: Queens Boulevard, Linden Boulevard,
Guy R. Brewer Boulevard		 Rochdale Village Loop
Manhattan Express [6]

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Q4 (New York City bus) Bus route in Queens, New York

The Q4 bus route constitutes a public transit corridor running along Merrick Boulevard and the easternmost portion of Linden Boulevard in southeastern Queens, New York City. The route runs from the Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer station to Cambria Heights near the Queens–Nassau County border. The Q4 also provides limited-stop service along the corridor during peak weekday hours. The route is now operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations under the New York City Transit brand.

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MTA Regional Bus Operations operates local and express buses serving New York City in the United States out of 29 bus depots. These depots are located in all five boroughs of the city, with one located in nearby Yonkers in Westchester County. 21 of these depots serve MTA New York City Transit (NYCT)'s bus operations, while the remaining eight serve the MTA Bus Company. These facilities perform regular maintenance, cleaning, and painting of buses, as well as collection of revenue from bus fareboxes. Several of these depots were once car barns for streetcars, while others were built much later and have only served buses. Employees of the depots are represented by local divisions of the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), particularly the TWU Local 100 and 101, or of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU)'s Local's 726 for all depots in Staten Island, 1056 for Casey Stengel, Jamaica, and Queens Village Depots, and 1179 for JFK & Far Rockaway Depots.

165th Street Bus Terminal Bus terminal in Queens, New York

The 165th Street Bus Terminal, also known as Jamaica Bus Terminal, the Long Island Bus Terminal, Jamaica−165th Street Terminal, or simply 165th Street Terminal, is a major bus terminal in Jamaica, Queens. Owned by MTA Regional Bus Operations, the terminal serves both NYCT and MTA Bus lines as well as NICE Bus lines to Nassau County, and was a hub to Green Bus Lines prior to MTA takeover. It is located at 89th Avenue and Merrick Boulevard, near the Queens Library. Most buses that pass through Jamaica serve either this terminal, the Jamaica Center subway station at Parsons Boulevard, or the LIRR station at Sutphin Boulevard.

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The Williamsburg Bridge Plaza, sometimes called Washington Plaza or the Williamsburg Bridge Transit Center, is a major bus terminal and former trolley terminal located at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, one block west of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (I-278). It is situated by the boundaries of Broadway, Havemeyer Street, Roebling Street, and South 5th Street, south of the LaGuardia Playground. It contains five bus lanes, and serves as a terminal for numerous MTA New York City Transit Authority bus routes of Brooklyn and Queens that start and end their runs there.

Q60 (New York City bus) Bus route in Queens, New York

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Q58 (New York City bus) Bus route in Queens, New York

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Jamaica–Far Rockaway line Bus routes in Queens, New York

The Q111, Q113, and Q114 bus routes constitute a public transit line between the Jamaica and Far Rockaway neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, running primarily along Guy R. Brewer Boulevard. The Q113 and Q114 provide limited-stop service between Jamaica and Far Rockaway, connecting two major bus-subway hubs, and crossing into Nassau County. The Q111 provides local service exclusively within Queens, with the exception of select rush-hour trips to or from Cedarhurst in Nassau County. Some of the last bus routes to be privately operated in the city, they are currently operated by the MTA Bus Company brand of MTA Regional Bus Operations. The Q113 and Q114 are one of the few public transit options between the Rockaway peninsula and "mainland" New York City.

Q72 (New York City bus) Bus route in Queens, New York

The Q72 bus route constitutes a public transit route along Junction Boulevard and 94th Street in Queens, New York City. It operates between the Rego Park and East Elmhurst neighborhoods of Queens, and extends into LaGuardia Airport at the north end of the borough. It is city-operated under the MTA Bus Company brand of MTA Regional Bus Operations.

Q65 (New York City bus) Bus route in Queens, New York

The Q65 bus route constitutes a public transit line in Queens, New York City. The south-to-north route runs primarily on 164th Street, operating between two major bus-subway hubs: Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue station in Jamaica and Flushing–Main Street station in Flushing. It then extends north along College Point Boulevard to College Point at the north end of the borough. The route is city-operated under the MTA Bus Company brand of MTA Regional Bus Operations.

Q20 and Q44 buses Bus routes in Queens and the Bronx, New York

The Q20A and Q20B and Q44 bus routes constitute the Main Street Line, a public transit line in Queens, New York City, running primarily along Main Street between two major bus-subway hubs in the neighborhoods of Jamaica and Flushing. The Q20A/B terminates in College Point at the north end of Queens. The Q44 continues north into the borough of the Bronx, terminating in the West Farms neighborhood near the Bronx Zoo. The Q44 is one of two Queens bus routes to operate between the two boroughs.

B46 (New York City bus) Bus route in Brooklyn, New York

The B46 bus route constitutes a public transit corridor in Brooklyn, New York City. The route runs primarily along Utica Avenue north from the Kings Plaza shopping center through Eastern Brooklyn, with continued service west along Broadway to the Williamsburg Bridge Plaza Bus Terminal. The corridor was originally served by a streetcar line, known as the Utica and Reid Avenues Line, Utica−Reid Line, Reid−Utica Line, Reid Avenue Line, or Utica Avenue Line until 1951, when the line was replaced by bus service. The bus route is operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations under the New York City Transit brand.

Q64, QM4 and QM44 buses Bus routes in Queens, New York

The Q64, QM4 and QM44 bus routes constitute a public transit line in Queens, New York City. The east-to-west Q64 route runs primarily on Jewel Avenue operating between the Forest Hills–71st Avenue subway station in Forest Hills and 164th Street in Electchester. The QM4 route is an express bus route running from Midtown Manhattan to Electchester running via Sixth Avenue in Manhattan and Jewel Avenue in Queens. The QM44 route is an express bus route running from Midtown Manhattan to Electchester via Third Avenue in Manhattan and Jewel Avenue in Queens.

Merrick Boulevard buses Bus routes in Queens, New York

The Q5 and Q85 bus routes constitute a public transit corridor running along Merrick Boulevard in southeastern Queens, New York City. The routes run from the Jamaica Center transit hub and business district to Rosedale, with continued service to Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, Nassau County. The Q4 and Q84 buses also serve the northern portion of the corridor, before diverging east along Linden Boulevard and 120th Avenue respectively. The Q4, Q5, and Q85 also provide limited-stop service along the corridor. The routes on the corridor mainly serve as feeder routes to New York City Subway services at Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer station.

References

  1. 1 2 "70,000 Bus Riders Delayed By Strike: 3 Jamaica Lines Are Affected in Protest Against Alleged Reduction in Service" (PDF). The New York Times . June 4, 1949. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Harry P. Williams, Bus Line Head, Dies" (PDF). The New York Times . March 15, 1941. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  3. ↑ Jamaica Buses Incorporated (accessed January 19, 2007; archived June 4, 2015)
  4. ↑ Obituaries; Jerome Cooper (New York Times; May 21, 2015)
  5. ↑ Martin, Guy E. (2005). NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT BUSES: 1945-1975 PHOTO ARCHIVE BOOK. Infographic Enthusiast Books. ISBN   978-1583881491.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Company Profile". Jamaica Buses, Inc. Archived from the original on January 25, 2006. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Jamaica Buses To Inaugurate New Service: Ceremony Will Be Held Tomorrow in Opening Routes to Southeast". Brooklyn Daily Eagle . November 10, 1933. Retrieved October 13, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Green Bus Lines New Owners Of Jamaica Bus Co". Wave of Long Island . Fultonhistory.com. April 14, 1949. p. 1. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  9. ↑ "MTA Bus: Baisley Park Pick Glossary" (PDF). baisleyparkfamily.com. MTA Bus Company. June 28, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ Jamaica Buses Incorporated (Internet Archive)
  11. ↑ Jamaica Buses, Inc. (April 24, 1937). "New Subway and Jamaica Buses: Service Effective 1 P.M. Saturday, April 24". Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com . Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 "Pick Tentative Bus Operators; Queens Objects: Board Selects North Shore and Jamaica Firms-Hearing July 10". Brooklyn Daily Eagle . June 19, 1931. p. 2. Retrieved October 12, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
  13. 1 2 3 "Strike Ties Up 3 Queens Bus Lines: 138 Quit Work, Leaving 40,000 Riders Stranded". Brooklyn Daily Eagle . April 29, 1941. Retrieved October 13, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ New York Times, New Subway Line: Affords a Five-Cent Fare Between Manhattan and Jamaica, L.I., July 7, 1918, page 30
  15. ↑ "Bus Line Seeking Inwood Franchise". Brooklyn Daily Eagle . October 12, 1931. p. 19. Retrieved October 13, 2015– via Newspapers.com.

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