MTA announces speedy new bus service from Bronx to LaGuardia

Bronxites looking for a fast, cheap and easy way to get to LaGuardia Airport will soon be able to step on to a special city bus at Fordham Plaza.

Mayor Bloomberg along with the city Department of Transportation and Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced three new Select Bus Service routes, complete with dedicated transit lines.

Travel times would improve up to an estimated 50 percent – as much as 40 minutes faster – from the Bronx to LaGuardia.

Currently there is no bus service directly connecting central neighborhoods in the Bronx to LaGuardia, without having to transfer either to another bus or train.

The Bx41, which the MTA has been planning for over a year to make a Select Bus Service, is also being changed to include service to the airport.

Under the plan, some of those future SBS lines, that travel along Webster Avenue will terminate at Third Avenue and 149th Street, while others will continue along to LaGuardia.

According to the MTA, the Webster Avenue and Manhattan Select Bus Service lines will begin operating next year.

The services would also provide improvements to local bus service, including faster crosstown service on 125th Street, on Webster Avenue, the Bronx and more reliable service in Jackson Heights, Queens.

The routes could potentially save travelers 10-40 minutes in travel time.

The buses will cost the same fare as the subway and run from Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens.

New technology which will allow buses to change red lights to green, blue lights and bus only lanes will also allow for more speedy trips.

In addition, riders will be required to pay before riding, to cut down on wait times.

“Select Bus Service improves travel times, enhances safety and increases ridership wherever we have installed it,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “This new Select Bus Service to LaGuardia will not only cut travel time for people flying in and out of New York, but it will also benefit New Yorkers who commute to work at the airport every day from Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx.”

MTA Charman and CEO Joseph Lhota said the MTA is always working to make it easier to get around, and faster rides to LaGuardia will be a huge benefit to travelers.

“Select Bus Service to the airport will make LaGuardia more convenient for travelers as well as airport workers, and that means a boost for the entire New York economy,” Lhota said.

Kirsten Sanchez can be reach via e-mail at ksanchez@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 742-3394