Union Turnpike express buses

qm1 / qm5 / qm6
qm7 / qm8
qm31 / qm35 /qm36
Union Turnpike
Manhattan–Queens Express
A Glen Oaks-bound QM5 bus at Union Turnpike and 164th Street.
A 2007 Motor Coach D4500CL (3471) on the Glen Oaks-bound QM5 at Union Turnpike/164th Street in June 2018
Overview
SystemMTA Regional Bus Operations
OperatorMTA Bus Company
GarageCollege Point Depot
Vehicle
Began serviceFebruary 26, 1968 (QM1)[1]
Route
LocaleQueens and Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Communities servedQueens: Kew Gardens Hills, Hillcrest, Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, Bellaire, Little Neck, Glen Oaks, Floral Park
StartFresh Meadows, Queens – 188th Street & Horace Harding Expressway (QM1, QM7, QM31)
Glen Oaks, Queens – 260th Street & Union Turnpike (QM5, QM8, QM35)
Glen Oaks, Queens / Lake Success, Nassau County – North Shore Towers (QM6, QM36)
ViaUnion Turnpike, Queens Boulevard, Long Island Expressway & Midtown Tunnel (westbound) / Queensboro Bridge (eastbound)
EndMidtown Manhattan – Sixth Avenue (QM1, QM5, QM6)
Midtown Manhattan – Third Avenue (QM31, QM35, QM36)
Downtown Manhattan – Downtown Loop (QM7, QM8)
Other routesQ46 Union Turnpike
Service
Operates(see below)[2][3]
Annual patronageQM1/QM31: 76,872 (2023)[4]
QM5/QM35: 388,451 (2023)[4]
QM6/QM36: 211,345 (2023)[4]
QM7: 109,619 (2023)[4]
QM8: 93,663 (2023)[4]
TransfersYes
TimetableQM1/QM5/QM6/QM31/QM35/QM36
QM7/QM8
← BxM18
QM4
QM25
QM34
 {{{system_nav}}}  QM2
QM10
QM32
QM40 →

The QM1, QM5, QM6, QM7, QM8, QM31, QM35, and QM36 bus routes constitute a public transit line in New York City, operating express between Northeast Queens and Midtown or Downtown Manhattan. The routes operate primarily on Union Turnpike in Queens, and travel non-stop via Queens Boulevard, the Long Island Expressway, and the Midtown Tunnel or Queensboro Bridge between Queens and Manhattan.

The routes are numbered based on their origin and destination; buses that run to Third Avenue in Midtown Manhattan are double-digit routes that start with the number "3" or "4", while all other routes are single-digit routes. In Manhattan, the QM1, QM5, and QM6 buses run via Sixth Avenue in Midtown; the QM31, QM35, and QM36 buses run via Third Avenue in Midtown; and the QM7 and QM8 buses run through the Financial District. In Queens, the QM1, QM7, and QM31 run to 188th Street and Horace Harding Expressway; the QM5, QM8, and QM35 run to 260th Street and Union Turnpike via the Horace Harding Expressway; and the QM6 and QM36 go to North Shore Towers. Some QM8 buses employ "Super Express" service, with larger non-stop sections during the trip.

The routes were originally privately operated under the QM1 and QM1A designations by Steinway Transit Corporation and Queens Surface Corporation from 1968 to 2005. The routes are now operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations under the MTA Bus Company brand. Following MTA takeover, the two designations were split into eight different routes signifying different service patterns.[5]

  1. ^ Perlmutter, Emanuel (February 27, 1968). "Queens-Midtown Service Starts: 11 Express Buses Carry 1,000 on Test Runs". The New York Times. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  2. ^ MTA Regional Bus Operations. "QM1 bus schedule".
  3. ^ MTA Regional Bus Operations. "QM7 bus schedule" (PDF).
  4. ^ a b c d e "Subway and bus ridership for 2023". mta.info. April 29, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference MTA-NEQnsBusStudy-Sept2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).