Wednesday, August 27, 2025 – No more buses to Astoria, now to Queens Plaza and Court Square
Farewell to the
Q102 bus route
(a new truncated route starts this weekend)
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Fandom
Issue # 1520
A Brief History
in: MTA Regional Bus routes, Bus routes in Queens, New York
Q102 (New York City bus)
Route NumberQ102
Operated by
MTA Bus Company
Garage
Vehicle
Orion VII OG HEV
Orion VII NG HEV
New Flyer Xcelsior XD40
Start
Roosevelt Island, Manhattan – Coler-Goldwater Hospital
Via
Northern Boulevard, Steinway Street, 20th Avenue, Roosevelt Island Bridge
End
Astoria – 27th Avenue and 2nd Street
Length
TBA
The Q102 consitutes a bus route in Queens, New York running primarily on Northern Boulevard, Steinway Street, 20th Avenue, between Roosevelt Island, Manhattan and Astoria, Queens. Formerly a streetcar route, it was operated by Steinway Transit until 1988 and then Queens Surface Corporation until MTA takeover in 2005.
Contents
Route description
The Q102 begins at 27th Avenue and 2nd Street, and goes on the avenue until it turns to 8th Street and then 30th Avenue. It then continues on 30th Avenue until it turns to 31st Street. It then then goes on the street until it heads to Jackson Avenue, while eastbound buses use 28th Street, 42nd Road, and Jackson Avenue to access Northern Boulevard. It then continues on Queens Plaza until it turns to 21st Street, 41st Avenue, and then Vernon Boulevard. It then continues on the boulevard until it turns right to 36th Street and accesses the Roosevelt Island Bridge, and after the bridge, it turns right onto Main Street. It then goes on until it uses the Bird S Coler Hospital Roadway, and loops around to head to the loop road, and continues on Main Street until it uses the East, South, and West Loop Road, where it ends there. For buses heading to Queens, they use the West Loop Road to go on Main Street and then the Roosevelt Island Bridge.
History
Streetcar service
On 1869, a horscar service opened from the 34th to 92nd Street Ferries. It was known as the Dutch Kills or 31st Street Line. It was the first horsecar line in Queens, and was operated by the Astoria and Hunter’s Point Railroad. On November 27, 1877 a person named Patrick Gleason leased the Astoria and Hunter’s Point Railroad, operating the 31st Street line for an annual rental of $4,000.
On 1901, a line was authorized in 31st Street along its whole length. Part of this was used in 1910 after the New York and Queens County Railway gave up the crooked Jane Street to Academy Street to Lockwood Street routing of the old 31st Street Line that had existed since 1865, and operated the cars in a direct line along 31st Street from Jackson Avenue to 35th Avenue.
The opening of the Queensboro Bridge caused a change in the 31st Street Line. The old route through Jane Street and 29th Street and the private right of way, still one track with turnouts, was outdated and cut directly across the new bridge plaza. Therefore, on December 4th, 1908, the New York and Queens County Railway secured a franchise to operate straight down 31st St. from 35th Ave. to Jackson Avenue, and on July 2nd, 1909 the Public Service Commission approved the abandonment of the old route. The new 31st Street Line opened on December 4th, 1909.
Bus service
Beginning in the 1920s, many streetcar lines in Queens and in the rest of the city were replaced by buses, particularly after the unification of the city’s three primary transit companies in June 1940. The bus service started on September 29, 1939 to replace the 31st Street streetcar route. The bus route was initially operated by Steinway Transit.
The bus company would become Queens-Steinway Transit Corporation in 1986, and Queens Surface Corporation in 1988.
MTA takeover
On February 27, 2005, the MTA Bus Company took over the operations of the Queens Surface routes, part of the city’s takeover of all the remaining privately operated bus routes.
Starting on April 18, 2010, all service began traveling through Roosevelt Island in the same direction and some closely spaced bus stops on the island were discontinued.
Newtown Avenue, Crescent Street, and Astoria Boulevard segment was discontinued in favor of operating via 30th Avenue on June 29, 2014.
In December 2019, the MTA released a draft redesign of the Queens bus network. As part of the redesign, the Q102 bus would have been replaced with the QT78, a “neighborhood” route that would run between Roosevelt Island and Middle Village, and the QT79, also a “neighborhood” route that would have run between Rikers Island and Hunter’s Point. The redesign was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020, and the original draft plan was dropped due to negative feedback.
The trolley operated over the Queensboro Bridge until the RI Bridge opened in 1957, bringing direct bus service to the island.
Queens Surface offered litte reliable schedules and was replaced by the MTA in200-5, a vast improvement over the privately operated system.
WHERE IS THE MTA?
OUR QUEENS BUS ROUTES ARE CHANGING THIS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 31ST
MTA AND RIOC HAVE NOT POSTED ANY SIGNAGE
INFORMING THE PUBLIC
WE HAVE POSTED THE NEW ROUTE MAPS ON THE BACK OF THE CHAPEL BUS SHELTER
TO SEE INDIVIDUAL ROUTE DETAILS GO TO:
https://www.mta.info/schedules/bus/queens
PHOTO OF THE DAY
STOP BY OUR VISITOR CENTER FOR
YOUR NEW RTIHS TEE SHIRT (ADULT SIZES)
CREDIT TO
Fandom
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated
THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
Copyright © 2025 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com
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