 | |
 | |
| Parent | GTJ Reit Incorporated |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1930 |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Headquarters | 114-15 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard South Jamaica, NY 11434-1296 |
Jamaica Buses, Inc., also known asJamaica Bus Lines[1] or theJamaica Bus Company,[2] was abus company inNew York City,New York, operating local service inQueens and express service toManhattan until January 30, 2006, when theMTA Bus Company took over its operations.
The president of Jamaica Buses, and GTJ Reit Inc. was the late Jerome Cooper (August 14, 1928 – May 20, 2015, aged 86).[3][4] Its facility was located on 114-15 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard inSouth Jamaica, Queens.
From 1954 to 1995, Jamaica Buses, also providedcharter services.[5]
After the bankruptcy of theLong Island Electric Railway in 1926, the company'strolley lines inNassau County were disestablished, however the ones in Queens survived, and the company was reorganized as theJamaica Central Railways. This company would continue to operate streetcars for another six years. Upon reestablishment, the company purchased used trolley cars from companies such as theEmpire State Railroad of Oswego, and theNew York and Stamford Railway. Many of these cars dated back as far as 1911 and proved to be defective when used on theFar Rockaway Line. The conditions became so dangerous that by the Summer of 1930 theNew York State Public Service Commission intervened and demanded that they trade the cars in for those from theEastern Massachusetts Street Railway. Unfortunately, those cars proved to be inadequate, and that line was eventually abandoned. Cars on other lines inherited from the LIER did not suffer such misfortunes.
In 1930, the City of New York granted the company a bus franchise service named Jamaica Buses, a subsidiary of Jamaica Central Railways. Bus operation over all the former JCR trolley lines began on November 12, 1933; this coincided with the widening of Jamaica Avenue, and the removal of the trolley tracks on the former routes.[6][7] The company was acquired by the stockholders ofGreen Bus Lines in April 1949 after financial troubles, but also continued to operate independently.[1][6] The change in ownership took effect on April 13, 1949, with Green Lines paying $200,000.[8] In 1971 the QM21 express route to Manhattan was initiated.
Just prior to MTA Bus takeover, Jamaica Buses operated on the following routes that are now based inBaisley Park Bus Depot, the former company facility.[9][10] All four local routes shared a northern terminal inJamaica, Queens at theParsons Boulevard subway station atHillside Avenue.[11] Old route designations can also be found in the local routes.
| Route (Former) | Terminal A | Major streets of travel | Terminal B | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queens Local | ||||
| Q110 (A)[6][12] | Jamaica 88th Avenue and Parsons Boulevard atParsons Boulevard ( E F <F> trains) or 179th Street and Hillside Avenue atJamaica – 179th Street ( E F <F> trains) | Jamaica Avenue, Hempstead Avenue | Elmont Belmont Park |
|
| Q111 (B)[6] | Jamaica 88th Avenue and Parsons Boulevard atParsons Boulevard ( E F <F> trains) | Guy R. Brewer Boulevard | Rosedale 147th Avenue/Hook Creek Boulevard - or - Cedarhurst | |
| Q112 (C)[6][12] | South Road, Liberty Avenue | Ozone Park Rockaway Boulevard/98th Street atRockaway Boulevard ( A train) |
| |
| Q113 (B); (D)[6][12] | Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, Rockaway Boulevard, Central Avenue, Beach 9th Street | Far Rockaway Seagirt Boulevard and Beach 20th Street |
| |
| Queens-Manhattan express | ||||
| QM21 | Gramercy Park | Manhattan: 23rd Street, Madison Avenue, 57th Street Queens: Queens Boulevard, Linden Boulevard, Guy R. Brewer Boulevard | Rochdale Village Loop | Manhattan Express[6] |
