By Anna Gustafson
Queens lawmakers praised the recent bailout agreement for the MTA that saved the Q74 bus line, saying the move will help thousands of residents who need the Kew Gardens−to−Flushing bus to get them to and from institutions like schools and senior centers.
“This is excellent news for all the constituents in my district, old and young, that rely on the Q74 bus to take them where they need to go,” state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D−Fresh Meadows) said. “The new agreement is very important for Queens, saving it from cuts to vital transit links like the Q74 and avoiding unfair and regressive bridge tolls.”
The state Legislature passed an MTA bailout package last Thursday that removed the threat of massive service cuts and 20 percent to 30 percent fare hikes.
The Q74 was one of 22 bus routes that had been slated for elimination by this summer if state lawmakers had not agreed on a rescue plan.
The bus line has an average weekday ridership of 1,900 and services K−12 schools with nearly 9,000 students, two library branches, four senior centers and 13 day care centers with a little more than 750 slots.
Residents will also see no tolls when traveling over Harlem River and East River bridges.
“The spine of our city is public transportation, and we need it to get around,” Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D−Flushing) said. “Saving the Q74 saves countless neighbors from having to struggle to get to work and school.”
City Councilman James Gennaro (D−Fresh Meadows), Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn (D−Flushing) and U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner also said they had fought hard to keep the Q74 running and were relieved the bus route would remain.
Gennaro called the Q74 the “lifeblood that feeds the Pomonok Houses, Queens College, CUNY Law School and Townsend Harris High School.”
With the route saved, “thousands of students and residents will be able to reach Queens Borough Hall, the courthouse and the E and F subway lines on Queens Boulevard with uninterrupted service,” Gennaro said in a statement.
Legislators expect the bailout to provide $2.3 billion annually through a payroll tax in the 12 counties the Metropolitan Transportation Authority services and higher fees for driver’s licenses and auto registrations.
There will be a 10 percent increase in subway and bus fares to $2.25 for a one−way ride instead of the proposed 20 percent to 30 percent hike the MTA had originally discussed.
Reach reporter Anna Gustafson by e−mail at agustafson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 174.
