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M60 (New York City bus)

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For additional information, see Select Bus Service § M60.

m60
125th Street−LaGuardia Airport Line
A 2019 XD60 (6164) on the M60 SBS on Broadway near 116th Street–Columbia University station in June 2024
Overview
SystemMTA Regional Bus Operations
OperatorManhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority
GarageMother Clara Hale Depot
VehicleNova Bus LFS articulated
New Flyer Xcelsior XD60 (main vehicles)
New Flyer Xcelsior XDE40 (supplemental service)
Began serviceSeptember 13, 1992[1][2]
May 25, 2014 (Select Bus Service)[3]
Route
LocaleManhattan and Queens, New York, U.S.
StartUpper West Side – Broadway  / 106th Street
Via125th Street, Triborough Bridge, Astoria Boulevard[4]
EndLaGuardia Airport
Length9.4 miles (15.1 km)[5]
Stations21[3]
Other routesM125 The Hub/125th Street
M100 Broadway/Amsterdam Avenue
M101 3rd/Lexington/Amsterdam Avs/125th Street
Service
Operates24 hours[4]
Annual patronage2,327,966 (2023)[6]
TransfersYes
TimetableM60 SBS
← M57
← M34 SBS(by borough)
← Q53 SBS (by route number)		  {{{system_nav}}}  M66 →
M79 SBS→
Q70 SBS →

The M60 Select Bus Service is a bus route in New York City. It is part of MTA Regional Bus Operations, operated by the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MaBSTOA) under the New York City Transit brand. The M60 provides service between the Upper West Side of Manhattan and LaGuardia Airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, traveling between boroughs via the RFK-Triborough Bridge. It is the only direct public transit option between Manhattan and LaGuardia Airport.

The M60 was introduced in 1992 as an airport connector and is usually advertised as such. Much of the M60's passenger load, however, is from its crosstown service along 125th Street in Harlem; the M60 is the busiest of the four bus routes that run along the 125th Street Crosstown Line ("125th Street corridor"). On May 25, 2014, the M60 was converted into a Select Bus Service (SBS) route to improve service to-and-from the airport, and service along 125th Street.

Route description and service

[edit]
See also: Select Bus Service
A 2017 XD60 (6098) on the LaGuardia-bound M60 SBS at Broadway/West 116th Street

The M60 begins on the Upper West Side in Manhattan at West 106th and Broadway. It turns east at 120th Street, and north at Amsterdam Avenue, before turning east onto 125th Street in Manhattanville. Along 125th Street in Harlem, the M60 provides limited-stop service, with the M100, M101 and Bx15 providing local service. At the east end of the street, it enters the Triborough Bridge, crossing into Queens. It then travels along Astoria Boulevard (the service road for the Grand Central Parkway) and 23rd Avenue to 94th Street, providing limited-stop service in the neighborhoods of Astoria and East Elmhurst. The Q19 provides local service along Astoria Boulevard, and the Q33 and Q48 along 23rd Avenue. At 94th Street, the M60 turns north and enters the airport, serving Terminals B, C, and A (in that order) before returning to Manhattan.[7][3][4][8][9] Some eastbound buses may terminate at 125th Street & Lexington Avenue and do not enter Queens.

The M60 connects with several subway lines in Manhattan–the IRT West Side Line, IND Eighth Avenue Line, IRT Lenox Avenue Line, and IRT Lexington Avenue Line–as well as the Harlem–125th Street station of the Metro-North Railroad. It also connects with the BMT Astoria Line (leading to the BMT Broadway Line) in Astoria.[4][10]


Stops

[edit]
Station
Street traveled 		Direction Connections
Manhattan
West 106th Street
Broadway 		Eastbound station,
westbound terminal

NYC Bus: M104, M116

West 116th Street
Columbia University 		Bidirectional

NYC Bus: M4, M104
NYC Subway: "1" train train at 116th Street–Columbia University

West 120th Street / Broadway

NYC Bus: M4, M104

West 120th Street / Amsterdam Avenue

NYC Bus: M11

LaSalle Street / Amsterdam Avenue
125th Street

NYC Bus: M11, M100, M101, M104, M125

St. Nicholas Avenue / Douglass Boulevard
125th Street

NYC Bus: M3, M10, M100, M101, M125
NYC Subway: "A" train​"B" train​"C" train​"D" train trains at 125th Street

Lenox Avenue
125th Street

NYC Bus: M1 (southbound only at Fifth Avenue), M7, M101, M102, M125
NYC Subway: "2" train​"3" train trains at 125th Street

Madison Avenue / Park Avenue
125th Street

NYC Bus: M1 (northbound only; southbound at Fifth Avenue), M98 (southbound only), M101, M125
Metro-North at Harlem–125th Street

Lexington Avenue
125th Street

NYC Bus: M35, M98 (northbound only at Third Avenue), M101, M103, M125
NYC Subway: "4" train​"5" train​"6" train"6" express train trains at 125th Street
Metro-North at Harlem–125th Street

Second Avenue
125th Street

NYC Bus: M15, M15 SBS, M125

Triborough Bridge
Queens
31st Street
Hoyt Avenue 		Bidirectional

MTA Bus: Q19
NYC Subway: "N" train​"W" train trains at Astoria Boulevard

Steinway Street
Astoria Boulevard

MTA Bus: Q19, Q101

77th Street
Astoria Boulevard

MTA Bus: Q19

82nd Street
23rd Avenue 		Eastbound

MTA Bus: Q33, Q47
NYC Bus: Q48

Ditmars Boulevard / 82nd Street §
Grand Central Parkway Service Road North 		Westbound

MTA Bus: Q47, Q69
NYC Bus: Q48

87th Street
23rd Avenue 		Eastbound

MTA Bus: Q33
NYC Bus: Q48

94th Street
23rd Avenue

MTA Bus: Q33, Q72
NYC Bus: Q48

Terminal B Airport stop

MTA Bus: Q70 SBS, Q72
NYC Bus: Q48
LGA Shuttle Bus

Terminal C

MTA Bus: Q70 SBS, Q72
NYC Bus: Q48
LGA Shuttle Bus

Terminal A
Marine Air Terminal

MTA Bus: Q47
NYC Bus: Q48
LGA Shuttle Bus

Notes:
  1. The route loops around LaGuardia Airport terminal bus stops and continues operating back toward the westbound terminus. There is no eastbound terminus stand.
  2. Passengers traveling eastbound toward LaGuardia Airport must be off the bus by the Terminal A (Marine Air Terminal) stop, or purchase a westbound fare at fare payment machines at LaGuardia Airport stops.
  3. Bus stops marked with an (§) are not served between midnight and 6 AM, when the 82nd Street exit (and the airport in general) is closed.

History

[edit]
A 2004 Orion VII OG HEV (6410) on the West Side-bound M60 in 2007, prior to articulated and SBS implementations.

In 1991, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) held a public hearing to discuss a bus route between Manhattan and LaGuardia Airport. It was first proposed as the Q49 from LaGuardia Airport to Park Avenue and East 125th Street, at Harlem–125th Street station on the Metro-North Railroad, but was quickly renamed the M60.[11] The M60 was approved for implementation in mid-1992[12] and began service on September 13, 1992, running between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and the airport.[1][13][14][15] On May 1, 1994, it was extended to Columbia University and the 116th Street subway station. The M60 was extended west along 125th Street, south on Amsterdam Avenue west on 120th Street, south on Claremont Avenue to West 116th Street, and then north on Broadway to the terminal.[16][17] The route was extended in response to requests from residents and groups from Morningside Heights and West Harlem. 20% of M60 riders surveyed said that they had used taxis, car services, personal cars or Carey Bus before its introduction and 25% said that they walked or did not make the trip. These 45% of riders surveyed were new NYC Transit riders.[18]

In June 1995, the route was extended 0.4 miles (0.64 km) to West 106th Street and Broadway, and was rerouted to Broadway from Claremont Avenue as residents on that street believed that the route had decreased their quality of life. Three options had been considered to reroute or extend the M60: using Riverside Drive, extending the route to West 110th Street, and extending the route to West 106th Street, which was decided upon. The M60 was extended south via Broadway and West End Avenue to West 106th Street, making limited stops, and laying over at West 106th Street and Broadway. The extension provided direct service between the Upper West Side and LaGuardia.[18][19]

Between 1997 and 2004, the bus route had an increase in ridership of 237%,[20] leading to a decrease in trip headways from 20 minutes[10] to 15 minutes in 1998,[21] and under 10 minutes by the 2000s.[13] On October 12, 2009, the first luggage rack-equipped bus in the city debuted on the M60, as part of a ten-bus pilot program on airport bus services to improve passenger flow.[22][23][24] In August 2011, two 60-foot (18 m) articulated buses started running per day on the M60, before permanent conversion to replace the 40-foot (12 m) buses on the route by September 2012.[25][26]

A Nova Bus LFS Articulated on the LaGuardia-bound M60 SBS exiting Interstate 278 in Queens after crossing the Triborough Bridge.

In 2009, the MTA and the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) identified the M60 as a potential corridor for Phase II of Select Bus Service (SBS), the city's bus rapid transit service. The M60 was identified under studies to improve crosstown service on 125th Street, which like other crosstown bus corridors was noted for slow travel speeds.[27] It was also identified as a corridor for improvement by the LaGuardia Airport Access Alternatives Analysis, which conducted with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to improve bus service to LaGuardia Airport.[28][29] The reason for the creation of the LaGuardia Access Alternatives study was the slow bus service on the M60, Q33, Q47, Q48, and Q72, which all went to LaGuardia Airport.[28][29] A separate outside study in 2011 by the Regional Plan Association proposed creating dedicated busways along the Grand Central Parkway to speed up M60 service.[30]

The M60 is one of three SBS routes that were planned under the LaGuardia Alternatives Analysis.[29] The Q70 Limited became an SBS route on September 25, 2016,[31] and the Bx41 SBS route had been planned to be extended to LaGuardia Airport under the LaGuardia Alternatives Analysis.[29] However, the Bx41 extension has not been implemented yet due to a lack of funding.[32] According to the city government, the three routes" would provide "shorter term, lower cost transit improvements" for LaGuardia Airport. At the time, the airport was the New York area's only large airport without any rapid transit connections to Manhattan.[33]

Studies and community outreach for Select Bus Service upgrades were conducted through 2011, and plans to implement the M60 SBS were announced on October 11, 2012.[34] At the time, the M60 was the heaviest used of the four 125th Street crosstown buses. The plan would turn the M60 local into a limited-stop service along 125th Street, with the number of stops along the corridor reduced from eleven to six. It would add dedicated MTA bus lanes and other improvements to speed travel times, and make the fleet entirely articulated and fully equipped with luggage racks.[7][8]

A 2017 Nova Bus LFS Articulated (5452) on the LaGuardia Airport-bound M60 SBS in April 2023, incorrectly displaying West Side.

Plans for the SBS route were scrapped in July 2013 after opposition from the Harlem community and state senator Bill Perkins, over the potential loss of parking space on 125th Street, and due to a lack of collaboration by the DOT with the community.[35][36][37] In October 2013, the plan was reinstated after the proposed bus lanes along 125th Street between Morningside Avenue on the West Side and Lenox Avenue in central Harlem were eliminated.[8] The M60 SBS began service on May 25, 2014.[3][7][8] An inauguration ceremony was held two days later.[38]

In January 2023, the MTA released a strategic action plan by the name of Extending Transit's Reach. As a part of this plan, the M60 SBS was scheduled to receive bike rack installation on its buses.[39]

A 2011 Orion VII EPA10 (7070), used as a loan on the LaGuardia Airport-bound M60 SBS at Broadway/West 116th Street (Columbia University)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "New York City Transit – History and Chronology". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  2. ^ "HISTORY OF THE BUS SYSTEM". mta.nyc.ny.us. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on January 27, 1998. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d "+selectbusservice 125th Street: Sunday, May 25, 2014 M60 Select Bus Service is coming!" (PDF). nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation. 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d MTA Regional Bus Operations. "M60 SBS bus schedule" (PDF).
  5. ^ "BUS ROUTE PROFILES 2017 An Addendum to "The Other Transit Crisis: How to Improve the NYC Bus System"" (PDF). comptroller.nyc.gov. Office of the Comptroller. December 2017. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  6. ^ "Subway and bus ridership for 2023". mta.info. April 29, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Transit & Bus Committee Meeting February 2014" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 24, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d Solmonow, Seth. "NYC DOT, MTA and State Sen. Perkins Announce 125th St. Select Bus Service to Start in April 2014, Streetscape Improvements to be Installed Along the Entire Corridor". nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  9. ^ Metropolitan Transportation Authority. "Airline terminal relocations at LaGuardia Airport". Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ a b Tauranac, John (July 13, 1997). "$1.50 to La Guardia? Take the M-60". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  11. ^ Flegenheimer, Matt (January 23, 2013). "An M.T.A. Hearing Asks: Is Everyone O.K. With This Service Increase?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  12. ^ Lorch, Donatella (August 6, 1992). "More Buses and Trains Planned to Lure Riders". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  13. ^ a b Hughes, C.J. (December 25, 2008). "Catching a Full-Up Plane? Take This Overstuffed Bus". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  14. ^ Lorch, Donatella (August 6, 1992). "More Buses and Trains Planned to Lure Riders". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  15. ^ Wade, Betsy (December 20, 1992). "TRAVEL ADVISORY; A Cheap Ride From La Guardia". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  16. ^ "TRAVEL ADVISORY; Airport Bus Service Extended to Broadway". The New York Times. August 21, 1994. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  17. ^ Kennedy, Randy (October 16, 1994). "NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: UPPER WEST SIDE; Bus Route Stirs an Elegant Street's Ire". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  18. ^ a b * NYC Transit Committee Agenda February 1995. New York City Transit. February 15, 1995. pp. D.62.
  19. ^ Kingson Bloom, Jennifer (January 22, 1995). "NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: WEST SIDE UPDATE; Victory for Claremont: Bus Shift to Broadway". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  20. ^ Son, Hugh (May 10, 2004). "STANDING ROOM ONLY Uneasy riders filling city buses, report finds". Daily News (New York). Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  21. ^ Rutenberg, James (July 18, 1998). "INCREASE IN BUS, SUBWAY SERVICE". Daily News (New York). Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  22. ^ Donohue, Pete (October 12, 2009). "MTA to give buses to LaGuardia Airports and John F. Kennedy Airport luggage racks". Daily News (New York). Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  23. ^ Hirshon, Nicholas (October 13, 2009). "Travelers' delight: Luggage racks on airport bus routes off to a flying start". Daily News (New York). Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  24. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (October 12, 2009). "Bringing Storage, and Comfort, to a La Guardia-Bound Bus". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  25. ^ "MTA Bus Operations Committee Meeting July 2012" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  26. ^ Frost, Emily (September 25, 2012). "M60 Bus Layover Spot Moves to Quiet West End Ave". Upper West Side: DNAinfo.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  27. ^ "Introduction to BUS RAPID TRANSIT PHASE II" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016.
  28. ^ a b "LaGuardia Airport Access Alternatives Analysis Public Meeting #1" (PDF). nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. June 22, 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  29. ^ a b c d "LaGuardia Airport Access: Improvement Summary" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  30. ^ Zupan, Jeffrey M.; Barone, Richard E.; Lee, Matthew H. (January 2011). "Upgrading to World Class: The Future of the New York Region's Airports" (PDF). Regional Plan Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  31. ^ Martinez, Jose (September 26, 2016). "Q70 Becomes Select Service Bus, Gets New Name". NY1. Archived from the original on September 30, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  32. ^ "Bx41 on Webster Avenue Progress Report" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. August 25, 2014. p. 24. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  33. ^ "Bus Rapid Transit – LaGuardia Airport Access Alternatives Analysis". nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. June 22, 2011. Archived from the original on August 23, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  34. ^ Newman, Andy (October 11, 2012). "Flights Won't Change, but Bus to La Guardia Will Get Easier". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  35. ^ Hinds, Kate (July 16, 2013). "NYC Kills Fast Bus to LGA". WNYC. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  36. ^ Ranson, Jan (October 18, 2013). "Harlem bus commuters hail Select Bus Service on the M60 route". Daily News (New York). Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  37. ^ "Letter to Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation" (PDF). streetsblog.org. Office of State Senator Bill Perkins. March 20, 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  38. ^ Hinds, Kate (May 27, 2014). "Select Bus Service Comes to 125th Street — Sort of". WNYC. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  39. ^ "MTA Releases Extending Transit's Reach, a Landmark Plan to Enhance Access to MTA Facilities". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 11, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
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