q111 rush, q113 ltd, q114 rush q115
Jamaica−Far Rockaway line
A 2016 XD60 (5393) on the Parsons Boulevard-bound Q111 at Jamaica Center in October 2018
Overview
System	MTA Regional Bus Operations
Operator	MTA Bus Company
Garage	Baisley Park Depot
Vehicle	New FlyerXcelsior XD60 (main vehicle) Nova BusLFS (supplemental service)
Began service	1897 (trolley line) 1930 (Rockaway-Nassau bus) 1933 (full bus route)
Route
Locale	Queens andNassau County, New York, U.S.
Communities served	Queens:Jamaica,South Jamaica,Springfield Gardens,Rosedale,Far Rockaway Nassau County:Woodmere,Cedarhurst,Inwood,Lawrence[1]
Start	Jamaica, Queens –Parsons Boulevard &Hillside Avenue
Via	Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, 147th Avenue (Q111),Rockaway Boulevard (Q113, Q114), Nassau Expressway (Q113)
End	Q111: Rosedale, Queens –Francis Lewis Boulevard & 148th Avenue Cedarhurst,Nassau County –Peninsula Boulevard andRockaway Turnpike (select rush hours only) Q113/Q114:Far Rockaway, Queens – Seagirt Boulevard & Beach 20th Street Q115:Springfield Gardens – Guy R. Brewer Boulevard & Farmers Boulevard
Length	Q111: 6.5 miles (10.5 km)[1] Q113/Q114: 12 miles (19 km)[1][2][3] Q115: 3.9 miles (6.3 km)
Service
Operates	24 hours (Q111, Q114, Q115)[note 1][note 2][4][5]
Annual patronage	Q111: 2,277,268 (2024)[6] Q113: 723,226 (2024)[6] Q114: 1,273,344 (2024)[6]
Transfers	Yes
Timetable	Q111Q113Q114Q115
Route map  Q111  Q113  Q114  Q115  Jamaica −Parsons /Hillside 88th Avenue 153rd Street /Jamaica Avenue Jamaica Center / 160th Street​​​ Liberty Avenue–Tuskegee Airmen Way 107th Avenue 109th Avenue Brinkerhoff Avenue Claude–Mathias Avenues Sayres Avenue Linden Boulevard 116th Avenue Foch Boulevard 120th Avenue Baisley Boulevard 130th Avenue 132nd Avenue 137th Avenue 144th Avenue Meadow Road 145th Avenue Farmers Boulevard Q115  147th Avenue Q113/Q114 viaRockaway Boulevard 184th Street Springfield Lane 225th Street 230th Street–230th Place Brookville Boulevard Huxley Street 249th Street 253rd Street 256th Street Francis Lewis Boulevard / 147th Avenue Rosedale – 147th Drive–148th Avenue Q111  Meyer Avenue Reyem Drive Queens Nassau Park Lane Longview Avenue Hungry Harbor Road Fraser Place–Holiday Court Mill Road Lafayette Drive Woodmere Boulevard Longacre Avenue Howard Avenue Church Avenue Arlington Road Cedarhurst –Peninsula Boulevard Q111  Q113 viaNassau Expressway Rugby Road Burnside Avenue–West Broadway Mott Avenue Lawrence Avenue Q114 viaBeach Channel Drive Doughty Boulevard Virginia Street Sheridan Boulevard Nassau County Queens Horton Avenue–Hassock Street Beach Channel Drive / Nameoke Avenue Beach 22nd Street ​ Redfern Avenue ​ Central / Mott Avenue ​ Cornaga / Mott Avenues Rose–Beach 9th Streets Caffrey Avenue Hicksville Road Meehan–Jarvis Avenues Beach 9th Street Beach 14th Street Beach 17th Street Beach 19th Street Far Rockaway – Seagirt Boulevard Q113  Q114  Legend Local, Limited & Rush stops Local & Limited stops Local stops  Q111  Terminal  LTD  Q114 makes all stops south of Brookville Boulevard. ​ Subway connections LIRR connection ← Q110 ←Q112  {{{system_nav}}}  S40 (Staten Island) →

TheQ111,Q113,Q114, andQ115bus routes constitute apublic transit line between theJamaica andFar Rockaway neighborhoods ofQueens,New York City, running primarily alongGuy R. Brewer Boulevard. The Q113 limited and Q114 rush routes providelimited-stop service between Jamaica and Far Rockaway, connecting two major bus-subway hubs, and crossing intoNassau County. The Q115 local route runs exclusively within Queens. The Q111 rush route provides limited-stop service on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard and local service on 147th Avenue, running exclusively in Queens, with the exception of select rush-hour trips to or fromCedarhurst in Nassau County. Some of the last bus routes to be privately operated in the city, they are currently operated by theMTA Bus Company brand ofMTA Regional Bus Operations. The Q113 and Q114 are one of the few public transit options between theRockaway peninsula and "mainland" New York City.

The corridor was originally astreetcar line that began operation in 1897, referred to as theFar Rockaway line,^[7][8]Jamaica−Far Rockaway line,^[9]Far Rockaway−Jamaica line^[10] orJamaica and Far Rockaway line.^[10] In 1933, the railroad company reorganized asJamaica Buses and began operating buses (the predecessor to the Q113) along the route under a franchise with New York City. The Q111 and Q113 would be operated under a subsidy of theNew York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) until January 2006, when Jamaica Buses was absorbed by the MTA Bus Company. On August 31, 2014, the Q114 was split from the Q113 to provide additional limited-stop service. On June 29, 2025, the Q115 was established to provide local service for all three routes.

Two XD60s: one 2016 (5408) on the Jamaica-bound Q111 (top) terminating, and one 2015 (5367) on the Q114 Limited to Far Rockaway via 147th Avenue (bottom) atParsons Boulevard/88th Avenue in Jamaica.

The original streetcar line began at a terminal at 160th Street (at that time known as Washington Street)^[8] andJamaica Avenue.^[11] The terminal was later moved east to what is now168th Street when theNew York City Subway'sBMT Jamaica Line was extended to the area in 1918.^[12][13][14] The route ran south down New York Avenue through southeast Queens, then connected to Nassau County along Rockaway Road and the Jamaica and Rockaway Turnpike. It then traveled west along several local streets before reentering Queens and terminating at Mott Avenue at the Far Rockaway station of theLong Island Rail Road'sFar Rockaway Branch (now theFar Rockaway–Mott Avenue station of theRockaway subway line).^{[7][8][15][16][17]} The line terminated at the Far Rockaway station's plaza and trolley terminal, which was shared with the lines of theOcean Electric Railway.^[18][19] Short-run service was operated between Jamaica and Farmers Avenue (now Farmers Boulevard) or Hook Creek at the county line;^[7] similar short-turn service is currently employed by the Q111 bus.^[4][20] Originally single-tracked,^[8][16] the line gained a second track between Jamaica and Baisley Boulevard beginning in 1911.^[8][15][21]

The current Q113 and Q114 routes largely follow the original trolley route, with some exceptions. Prior to June 2019, the Q114 turned onto 147th Avenue and Brookville Boulevard near the Queens-Nassau County line before following the Nassau County route to Far Rockaway. The Q113 routing, running the original route between Jamaica and the county line, bypasses most of the Nassau County route via the southern portion of theNassau Expressway and Central Avenue. Since June 2019, the Q114 operates along the same route as the Q113 between Jamaica and the Nassau Expressway, because of flooding problems along southern Brookville Boulevard.^{[1][5][22][23][24]} South of the Far Rockaway subway station, both routes travel along Mott Avenue, Cornaga Avenue, Beach 9th Street, and Seagirt Boulevard to Beach 20th Street near the Wavecrest Gardens Apartments;^{[5][22][23][24]} this extension was added in the 1950s.^[25] Both the Q113 and Q114 are direct successors to the streetcar line,^[12][26][27] and make limited stops along Guy R. Brewer Boulevard in Queens.^{[note 2][28][29]} The Q113 is classified as a limited-stop route, making limited stops for its entire length,^[28] while the Q114 is a rush route, making local stops outside the limited section on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard.^[29]

The Q111 is classified as a rush route, making limited stops south along Brewer Boulevard and local stops east along 147th Avenue. It terminates atFrancis Lewis Boulevard inRosedale, Queens near the border withSouth Valley Stream in Nassau County.^[31] Select weekday runs of the Q111 continue past Rosedale into Nassau County, turning south and west viaPeninsula Boulevard and ending at Rockaway Turnpike inCedarhurst.^{[4][24][32][33]} The Q111 route along 147th Avenue and in Nassau County mirrors the original planned routing of the trolley line, which was never constructed.^{[4][8][24][32][33]} The Q115 makes local stops south along Brewer Boulevard, terminating at Farmers Boulevard inSpringfield Gardens.^[34]

Many roads along the routes have been renamed. New York Avenue would later become New York Boulevard, and was renamed Guy R. Brewer Boulevard in 1982 after local politicianGuy Brewer.^[35][36] Rockaway Road and the Jamaica and Rockaway Turnpike are now calledRockaway Boulevard (in Queens) and the Rockaway Turnpike (in Nassau), respectively.^{[7][16][37][38]}

A formerBee-Line Bus System 1996Orion V (167) on the Q113, which just ended its trip at the Seagirt Boulevard terminus in Far Rockaway (top), and an Orion VII OG HEV (3649) on the Farmers Blvd-bound Q111 at Parsons Blvd/Jamaica Ave (bottom). Both buses are retired.

The streetcar line was originally operated by theLong Island Electric Railway (LIER), which was incorporated in 1894. On October 11 of that year, the company applied for a line between the then-Long Island towns of Jamaica,Hempstead, and Far Rockaway.^{[7][8][16][27]} Construction of the line began in 1895 along with the company's streetcar line alongLiberty Avenue.^[16][39][40] As originally planned, the line would have been long and circuitous south of 147th Avenue, traveling east into Rosedale andValley Stream, then back west towards Far Rockaway. The more direct Rockaway Turnpike route was ultimately selected, after the company secured exclusive rights to use the road.^[8] While the company's other three lines began operation in 1896, the Far Rockaway line was delayed due to construction over swampy land near the Queens-Nassau border, and disputes with theLong Island Rail Road over the crossing with the LIRR'sMontauk Branch.^[8] The first portion of the line between Jamaica and Baisley Boulevard began on September 1, 1896, operating on Sundays only.^[8][9] Service was extended south to Farmers Boulevard on May 2, 1897.^[9] The full line to Far Rockaway began operations on June 6, 1897.^[8][16][27]

On October 13, 1899, the LIER was purchased by the New York & North Shore Railway Company (a subsidiary of theNew York and Queens County Railway), which operated theFlushing–Jamaica Line along today's 164th Street.^[9][27] On March 12, 1900, through service on the combined routes began between Flushing and Far Rockaway.^[8] This service ended on August 1, 1901 after the LIER was bought out by the Hogan Brothers, a group of trolley line surveyors who worked on both the Flushing and Far Rockaway lines.^[8] A second track was added to the line between Jamaica andLinden Boulevard in 1903.^[8] The LIER would become part of theInterborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) on January 19, 1906.^[7][8] The interest of IRT ownerAugust Belmont, Jr. (builder ofBelmont Park served by another LIER line) originated from the popularity of the Far Rockaway line during summer months to the resorts on the Rockaway peninsula, and its service to theJamaica Race Course in modern-dayRochdale Village, Queens.^[8] Much of the rest of the route had yet to be paved or settled, with trolleys stopping at major farmhouses and fields as opposed to intersections. The tracks along Rockaway Boulevard were susceptible to washout due to marshy land and the tidal conditions of Hook Creek.^[8]

In October 1914, a second track began operation between Jamaica and Linden Boulevard.^[8][15] In 1916,New York City took over the rights toRockaway Boulevard/Rockaway Turnpike, paving and grading the road. The western half of the road was widened, while the eastern half on which the trolley line resided retained its original width.^[8] In 1917, the line would receiveautomatic block signaling and iron trolley poles to replace the original wooden ones.^[8]

Following labor and material shortages due toWorld War I, the line and its rolling stock fell into disrepair, leading to complaints from passengers, increased headways between trips, and high employee turnover.^[8][10] On July 6, 1921, a fire broke out at the company's trolley barn at New York Avenue andLinden Boulevard in Cedar Manor (modern-day South Jamaica/Springfield Gardens), destroying much of the company's rolling stock. The railway went bankrupt and was sold in 1926 by the company's debtors, theBank of Manhattan (now part ofJPMorgan Chase), reorganizing as theJamaica Central Railways in March of that year.^[8][27] As part of the reboot, one mile of new track was installed along the Far Rockaway line, including an extension of the second New York Boulevard track south to Farmers Boulevard.^[8][15] The line retained its popularity due to housing booms inSouth Jamaica and other neighborhoods along the route.^[8]

Around this time, manystreetcar lines in Queens and the rest of the city began to be replaced by buses, particularly after theunification of city's three primary transit companies in June 1940.^[8][41] On April 21, 1931, Jamaica Central created a subsidiary known asJamaica Buses, Inc. to convert its trolley lines to bus franchises.^[27] The Rockaway-Nassau portion of the Far Rockaway route began operating as a bus line (without a franchise) in September 1930, with the streetcar line between Jamaica and the county line continuing to operate.^[8][17] On November 12, 1933 the full route began operations as a single bus line.^[8][12] The Jamaica-Far Rockaway service would become "Route B".^[26][42] Due to the length of the route, it originally operated on a two-zone (then-ten cent) fare,^[43] as did the streetcar route before it.^[8] Additional buses were run between Jamaica and Baisley Boulevard at the Jamaica Racetrack.^[44] Beginning on June 15, 1935, during summer months (June to September) the route was extended south from Far Rockaway station to Seagirt Avenue (now Seagirt Boulevard) to serve Ostend Beach, Roche Beach, and other beaches on the southern coast of the Rockaway peninsula.^[45][46][47] The northern terminal was moved from Jamaica Avenue to theParsons Boulevard station of theIND Queens Boulevard Line onHillside Avenue on April 24, 1937.^[25][48] On October 10, 1938, overnight service was initiated on the route, running between Jamaica and either Farmers Boulevard or the Nassau County line at Hook Creek.^[49]

On April 20, 1952, the route was extended full-time from the Far Rockaway station to Seagirt Boulevard, in order to serve the Wavecrest Gardens Apartments, and following the disruption of LIRR service between the Rockaway Peninsula and mainland Queens.^[25][50] At this time, the route was split into Route B (Jamaica-Hook Creek) and Route D (Far Rockaway), in addition to the special Jamaica Racetrack service (Route H).^[50][51] Around 1960, Route D was renamed the Q113, and Route B became the Q111 route between Jamaica and the intersection of New York Boulevard (Brewer Boulevard) and 147th Avenue. In July of that year, an extension of the Q111 was approved, creating its current routing in Rosedale and Nassau County.^[52][53] At some point after 1975, the Q113 was rerouted from Rockaway Boulevard to Brookville Boulevard south of 147th Avenue.^[5][54] This was due to the crash ofEastern Air Lines Flight 66 on June 24, 1975, which shut down Rockaway Boulevard for some time;^[55] the change to the Q113 route was made permanent around this time. On December 11, 1988, the travel path of the Q111 and Q113 in Downtown Jamaica was altered to serve the newly openedJamaica Center–Parsons/Archer subway station.^[56]

On January 30, 2006, theMTA Bus Company took over operations of the Jamaica Bus routes.^{[1][57][58][59]} At this time, the Q113 ran two services: the Q113 local, which made all stops, and the Q113 Limited (also known as the "Q113 Express"), which skipped all stops between Rockaway Turnpike at the Queens–Nassau border and theFar Rockaway LIRR station. The limited service only ran during weekday rush hours.^{[20][33][60][61]} On March 12, 2007, the limited-stop service was expanded to midday hours and Saturdays, and limited stops were added to the route along Guy R. Brewer Boulevard. The Q113 limited was also shifted in Nassau County from Sheridan Boulevard and Burnside Avenue onto theNassau Expressway.^{[60][62][63][64]} In addition, the Q113 local was expanded to 24-hours a day at this time.^[65]

On July 3, 2011, the Q113 Limited was shifted from 147th Avenue and Brookville Boulevard onto the more direct route viaRockaway Boulevard between the end of Brewer Boulevard and the Nassau County line. As part of the change, two limited stops (Springfield Lane/222nd Street on 147th Avenue, and 147th Road on Brookville Boulevard) were eliminated, becoming local-only stops, while a limited stop at 147th Avenue and Brewer Boulevard was added for the Q113 Limited.^[2][66] In late 2012, the Q113 local was routed away from theFar Rockaway LIRR station at Nameoke Street, instead traveling directly to the Mott Avenue subway station.^[3] In addition, a three-hour transfer window applied on theMetroCard from transfers from any subway station to the Q113 orQ22, and then to then31, n32, and n33 routes ofNICE.^[67]

On August 31, 2014, the Q113 local was converted into a limited-stop service called the Q114, running along Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, 147th Avenue, and Brookville Boulevard, and local in Nassau County and the Rockaways. The limited stops eliminated in 2011 were restored for Q114 service, with two additional limited stops added.^[1][68] The 2007, 2011, and 2014 changes had originally been proposed in a Urbitran Associates study for theNew York City Department of Transportation in 2004, when the bus routes were privately operated.^[33] On January 4, 2015, Q114 local service was expanded into evening hours, and Q114 local service now began operating after Q113 Limited service ends.^[69] On February 1, 2015, Q114 Limited service started stopping at 147th Avenue and 230th Place (Jamaica-bound) and 147th Avenue and 230th Street (Far Rockaway-bound).^[70] In 2016, the corridor began operating low-floorarticulated buses in conjunction with its standard-length fleet. This was planned going back to 2012.^[71][72][73] In August 2016, the MTA announced plans to eventually convert the Q113 into aSelect Bus Service (SBS) route;^[74][75] this had been previously proposed by thePratt Center for Community Development.^[76][77]

In April 2017, the MTA announced its intention to modify the Q114's route in Nassau County in order to speed up service. West of Lawrence Avenue, the route would continue westward on Mott Avenue instead of turning south on Lawrence. The Q114 would instead turn southwest onto Nassau Expressway before turning northwest onto Bayview Avenue, eliminating a zigzagged route along Lawrence Avenue, Wanser Avenue, and Doughty Boulevard.^[78] The new routing was implemented on July 2, 2017.^[79] The reroute eliminated four bus stops in the Inwood neighborhood.^[78][79][80] On January 6, 2019, the southern terminal for Jamaica-bound buses was shifted to Seagirt Boulevard and Crest Road from Beach 20th Street and Seagirt Boulevard.^[81] On June 30, 2019, Q114 service was shifted from 147th Avenue and Brookville Boulevard onto a more direct route via Rockaway Boulevard between the end of Brewer Boulevard and the Nassau County line due to regular tidal flooding on Brookville Boulevard.^[82] As part of the change, four limited stops (222nd Street on 147th Avenue, 230th Street/230th Place on 147th Avenue, 147th Road and Brookville Boulevard, and 148th Road and Brookville Boulevard) were discontinued. Service at the stops along 147th Avenue would continue to be served by the Q111, while service was entirely discontinued at the stops along Brookville Boulevard.^[83]

In December 2019, the MTA released a draft redesign of the Queens bus network.^[84][85] As part of the redesign, the Guy R. Brewer Boulevard routes would have been replaced with a "high-density" limited-stop route, the QT13, and an "intra-borough" route, the QT19. Two "subway connector" routes would have also run on the corridor with a non-stop section on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard: the QT43, taking over part of the oldQ85 toRosedale, and the QT45, taking over part of the old Q114 to 147th Avenue.^[86] The redesign was delayed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020,^[87] and the original draft plan was dropped due to negative feedback.^[88]

A revised plan was released in March 2022.^[89] As part of the new plan, the Q111 and Q114 would instead become "rush" routes with nonstop sections on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, stopping only at major intersections and transfer points, with a new Q115 route making local stops on the corridor. However, the Peninsula Boulevard Q111 trips and the Q113 would be discontinued.^[90]

A final Queens bus-redesign plan was released in December 2023.^[91][92] The Q111 and Q114 would still become "rush" routes with limited-stop sections, and the new Q115 route would make local stops on the corridor, but the Q111's Peninsula Boulevard trips would be retained.^{[93]: 392–393, 400–401, 404–405}

On December 17, 2024, addendums to the final plan were released.^[94][95] Among these, the current Q113 route was retained but will directly serve the intersection of Guy R. Brewer Boulevard & Archer Avenue like the other route proposals on Brewer serving Jamaica. The Q114 had stop changes made and current frequencies retained, while the new Q115 also had stop changes made and will become a "Local" route.^[96] On January 29, 2025, the current plan was approved by the MTA Board,^[97] and the Queens Bus Redesign went into effect in two different phases during Summer 2025.^[98] All four routes are part of Phase I, which began on June 29, 2025.^{[99][100][101][102]}

On October 14, 1995, an out-of-control car collided head-on with a Q113 bus along the narrow Brookville Boulevard. The accident killed two of the people in the car as well as injured 25 people on the bus, three of them critically.^[103]

• List of streetcar lines in Queens
• Jamaica Buses

Wikimedia Commons has media related toQ111 (New York City bus),Q113 (New York City bus) andQ114 (New York City bus).

• Story of the Long Island Electric Railway and the Jamaica Central Railways, 1894–1933,Internet Archive

• MTA Regional Bus routes
• Streetcar lines in Queens, New York
• Railway lines opened in 1897
• Railway lines closed in 1933
• Transportation in Rockaway, Queens
• Bus routes in Queens

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