New buses on the way to Queens

New Yorkers will be able to breathe easier thanks to a grant that will provide Queens with new, fuel-efficient buses.
Over $33 million in federal funding for the new buses was recently announced by U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer.
“This funding replaces diesel-belching buses that pollute our air with cleaner, modern natural gas buses that are a big upgrade for bus riders,” Schumer said in a statement.
The new composite natural gas buses will replace old diesel buses at the College Point facility. New buses will also be provided to Brooklyn’s Spring Creek depot.
The grant also includes an option to purchase up to 30 additional natural gas buses for the creation of a new route or to convert additional buses. All natural gas buses that have been in operation for over 12 years will also be replaced, as part of the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) program.
There are currently 153 natural gas buses in Queens. The advantages of these buses are lower emissions and fuel costs and better fuel economy, according to a MTA spokesperson.
The College Point depot dispatches the Q19, Q25, Q34, Q38, Q50, Q64, Q65 and Q66
local routes, and the QM1, QM2, QM2A, QM3, QM4, QM5, QM6, QM7, QM8, QM10 and QM11 express routes.
The funding comes from the FTA’s State of Good Repair project – which is an initiative that provides assistance to local transit agencies.
There is no timetable for when the buses will be in service.