The Q1, Q36, and Q43 bus routes constitute a public transit line in Queens, New York City. The routes run primarily along Hillside Avenue from the Jamaica, Queens commercial and transportation hub towards several eastern Queens neighborhoods on the city border with Nassau County. Originally operated by the North Shore Bus Company until 1947, all three routes are now operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations under the New York City Transit brand.
Route description and service
The Q1, Q36, and Q43 are the primary bus services along Hillside Avenue, sharing the corridor between Merrick Boulevard (near the 165th Street Bus Terminal) and 212th Street. Several other routes provide service along the corridor east of the bus terminal before diverging north or south to other streets. During rush hours, the Q36 and Q43 provide limited-stop service in the peak direction (towards Jamaica mornings; towards eastern Queens afternoons). At these times, there is no Q36 or Q43 local service; local service is provided by the Q1 and other routes. The corridor also parallels the short eastern portion of the New York City Subway's IND Queens Boulevard Line along Hillside Avenue, and transfers to the are available at Parsons Boulevard, 169th Street, and Jamaica–179th Street.
Q1
The Q1 begins at Bays 1 and 2 of the 165th Street Bus Terminal. It runs north along Merrick Boulevard to Hillside Avenue, then proceeds east along Hillside Avenue. At adjacent intersections with Springfield Boulevard and Braddock Avenue, the Q1 splits into two branches. One runs south along Springfield to Jamaica Avenue at the Queens Village Long Island Rail Road station. This terminal is shared with the ; continued service south along Springfield requires transfer to the . The second branch runs south along Braddock Avenue, terminating at 243rd Street and the Cross Island Parkway in Bellerose. Immediately south and east, Braddock Avenue merges into Jamaica Avenue/Jericho Turnpike along the border with the Nassau County village of Bellerose. During late night hours, the Q1 serves both Springfield Boulevard and Braddock Avenue as a single clockwise loop, running south along Braddock, west along Jamaica Avenue, then north along Springfield back towards Jamaica. In total, it is about long.
Q36
The Q36 begins at Bay 6 of the 165th Street Bus Terminal. It runs east along Hillside Avenue to 212th Street/212th Place, turns south, then follows Jamaica Avenue (later continuous with Jericho Turnpike) east along the Queens-Nassau county border. Most Q36 buses terminate at 257th Street in Floral Park just past Little Neck Parkway, the southeastern corner of Queens. On weekdays, some Q36 buses turn north onto Little Neck Parkway and run nearly the entire length of the street, terminating at the LIRR's Little Neck station at the northern end of Queens. Prior to June 2010, this was the separate route, which shared its southern terminus with the Q36's eastern terminus.
Q36 Limited buses make all stops east of 212th Place, and run local along the entire Little Neck Parkway corridor. On weekdays, Little Neck service begins during the AM rush period, with every fourth or fifth limited bus running to or from Little Neck in the peak direction during rush hours. Off-peak weekday service, including all midday service, alternates between Floral Park and Little Neck. Early morning, late night, and weekend service operates only to Floral Park.
Q43
The Q43 runs along nearly the entire length of Hillside Avenue. It begins at Archer Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard, at the Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport subway station and the Jamaica terminal for the Long Island Rail Road and AirTrain JFK. The bus route travels north along Sutphin Boulevard, then east along Hillside Avenue to 268th Street in Floral Park, Queens, at the border with North New Hyde Park in Nassau County. Q43 Limited buses make all stops between Springfield Boulevard and 268th Street.
Other local bus service
Between Merrick Boulevard and Francis Lewis Boulevard, five additional Queens bus routes () provide service along Hillside Avenue. All these routes begin at the 165th Street Bus Terminal, except the Q17 which terminates two blocks south at Archer Avenue. At 188th Street, the Q17 turns north towards Fresh Meadows and Flushing. The Q2 and Q3 meanwhile turn south, running towards Belmont Park and John F. Kennedy International Airport respectively. At Francis Lewis Boulevard, the Q76 turns north along Francis Lewis towards Bayside, Whitestone, and College Point. The Q77 turns south along Francis Lewis towards Springfield Gardens. The Q17 also provides limited-stop service along its short segment of the corridor.