The fare-free program for select bus routes across the city ends on August 31.
Photo by Athena Dawson
The fare-free program for a busy bus route in Queens is ending this week. On Saturday, August 31, the Q4 free bus pilot program ends, and fare collection will resume on September 1.
The Q4 bus route runs between Linden Boulevard and 235th Street in Cambria Heights and Archer Avenue/Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica.
Green signs have been placed at Q4 bus route stops to alert residents to the service change.
The Q4 bus route was one of five bus routes included in a citywide fare-free bus pilot program that began in September 2023. The Bx18A/B, B60, M116, Q4 and S46/96 bus routes were made fare-free to study how missing fares impact ridership. The free program ends on August 31 for all routes that were part of the pilot program.
During the program’s lifespan, residents were able to ride the buses without paying, and signs were posted at bus stops along the routes announcing the change. Residents who used Access-A-Ride and started and ended their ride within three-quarters of a mile of the selected free bus routes were also able to ride for free. In total, the program served over 43,900 riders per day on weekdays in each district.
The free program was developed as part of Governor Hochul’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budgett, which made additional investments in mass transit, including improved subway service on weekday middays, weekday evenings, and weekends. The program routes were selected based on several factors, including ridership, fare evasion, adequacy of service, equity for low-income communities, and accessibility to commercial space and jobs, according to the Governor’s statement launching the program in July 2023.
