The Q20 and Q44 bus routes constitute the Main Street Line, a public transit line in Queens, New York City, running primarily along Main Street between two major bus-subway hubs in the neighborhoods of Jamaica and Flushing. The Q20 terminates in College Point at the north end of Queens. The Q44 continues north into the borough of the Bronx, terminating in the West Farms neighborhood near the Bronx Zoo. The Q44 is one of two Queens bus routes to operate between the two boroughs (along with the ).
The Q44 and Q20 were originally operated by the North Shore Bus Company from the 1930s to 1947; they are now operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations under the New York City Transit brand. In June 1999, the Q44 began limited stop service in Queens, with the Q20 split into two branches, the Q20A and Q20B to provide local service. On November 29, 2015, the Q44 was converted into a Select Bus Service (SBS) route. On June 29, 2025, the Q20B branch was discontinued, and the Q20A branch was renamed back to Q20.
Route description and service
Q44
The current Q44 route begins at the intersection of Merrick Boulevard and Archer Avenue in Downtown Jamaica, Queens (or Jamaica Center), just south of the 165th Street Bus Terminal. This terminus is shared with the . Traveling west along Archer Avenue, it passes the Jamaica Center station of the Archer Avenue subway and its bus terminal. At the Sutphin Boulevard subway station, which connects to the Jamaica station of the Long Island Rail Road and AirTrain JFK, the route turns north onto Sutphin Boulevard. It then turns west onto Hillside Avenue and north onto Queens Boulevard, interchanging with two stations of the IND Queens Boulevard Line.
At Main Street the Q44 turns north, running the entire distance of the street between Queens Boulevard and Northern Boulevard in Downtown Flushing (also known as Flushing Chinatown). In Downtown Flushing is the Flushing–Main Street terminal, where several bus lines, the IRT Flushing Line subway, and the LIRR Port Washington Branch interchange. The Q44 shifts onto Union Street and Parsons Boulevard to 14th Avenue in Whitestone. It then enters the Bronx–Whitestone Bridge, sharing the bridge with the . Throughout Queens, the Q44 provides limited-stop service, making intermittent stops primarily at major intersections and points of interest.
After entering the Bronx, the Q44 and Q50 follow the Hutchinson River Parkway service road to just south of the Bruckner Interchange, making only two stops: one at Lafayette Avenue, and another one at Brush Avenue and Bruckner Blvd, where passengers can also connect to the bus. While the Q50 turns east to follow the Bx5, the Q44 turns west onto East 177th Street (the Cross Bronx Expressway service road), running along either direction of the road. At the Parkchester subway station, the Q44 goes around the Hugh J. Grant Circle. The Q44 continues along East 177th Street until the interchange with the Sheridan Expressway, where it turns north onto Devoe Avenue. The Q44 stops at East Tremont Avenue near the West Farms Square subway station, and terminates at East 180th Street at the southern boundary of the Bronx Zoo. Buses lay over on a bridge over the Bronx River, before reentering service on Boston Road. Although the Q44's northern terminal is signed as "Bronx Zoo" (formerly "Bronx Zoo − West Farms Square"), the zoo is not accessible from this location; the closest entrance is several blocks north at Bronx Park South and Boston Road. During the A.M. rush, some northbound Q44 buses originate or terminate at the Flushing-Main Street station, or terminate at 14th Avenue in Whitestone.
Prior to 1999, the Q44 ran entirely local between Jamaica, Queens and West Farms, Bronx. It was the only bus service along Main Street in Queens. Before the implementation of Select Bus Service in November 2015, the route ran entirely local along East 177th Street. Some closely-spaced stops were removed with the implementation of Select Bus Service.
Select Bus Service stops
Q20
The Q20 shares the mostly same routing as the Q44 between Jamaica and Whitestone — except in Jamaica, where it takes Jamaica Avenue, before diverging west towards its terminal in College Point near Flushing Bay. The Q20 branches off at 20th Avenue, running along the northern edge of the former Flushing Airport and serving a large shopping center. Prior to 2025, this was labeled the Q20A to distinguish from the former Q20B, which turned west farther north at 14th Avenue, running through a much more residential area. The Q20 provides local service, running at all times.
School trippers When school is in session, several buses originate near John Bowne High School at the northwest corner of Queens College and depart between 1:23 and 3:06pm. The first Q44 trip departs at 2:09pm. All southbound trips run the full route to Jamaica. For northbound trips, only two Q20 departures at 2:56 and 3pm run the full route to College Point; the rest terminate at the Flushing–Main Street station, along with all Q44 trips.
From Melbourne Avenue near the southwest corner of Queens College, one Q44 bus departs at 3:20pm and terminates in Flushing, while two Q20 buses depart at 4:05pm and operate the full route in each direction. The Q44 also serves Monsignor Scanlan High School, where one trip to the Bronx Zoo departs at 2:40pm.
History
Original route
On February 15, 1932, North Shore Bus Company began operating a bus service to replace the Long Island Rail Road's Whitestone Branch. This service was labeled the "Q35". This service was different from the current service between Brooklyn and Rockaway Park. It ran from the Flushing–Main Street terminal, north along Linden Street (now Linden Place) and 127th Street to 14th Avenue through Flushing and College Point. This is the routing of the current bus in the area. The original Q35 then ran east along 14th Avenue before following the current and routes to Whitestone.
On May 2, 1933, North Shore Bus began a shuttle service along Main Street between Main Street/Roosevelt Avenue subway station in Flushing and Horace Harding Boulevard (now the Long Island Expressway) in Queensboro Hill. This was the predecessor to Q44 service. At the time, Main Street had yet to be extended south past Reeves Avenue (the north end of modern Queens College).
On September 22, 1935, the North Shore Bus Company acquired, but did not merge with, the Flushing Heights Bus Corporation which operated the and the services between Jamaica and Flushing. North Shore only acquired the Q25 on a temporary basis; as compensation, the city assured the company that they would get a new route between Flushing and Jamaica via Main Street. This was planned to go into service after the extension of Main Street, including a bridge over the Grand Central Parkway, was completed. In 1937, several major bus route changes occurred. Queens–Nassau Transit took over the Q25 service and combined it with their Q34 route along Linden Place and 127th Street in College Point (predecessor to the northern portion of the current Q25). The Q35 was discontinued by North Shore, and was replaced by a new Q20 service. The route of the Q20 was the same as the current route of the Q20B (via 14th Avenue), except that it continued north along 122nd Street (now College Point Boulevard) and followed the same looping route as the current Q25 (then Q34) near MacNeil Park at the north end of the borough.
Start of Q44 service
In December 1936, North Shore applied for a franchise on route "Q-44" between Flushing and Jamaica via Main Street. On March 22, 1938, Q44 service began between Flushing–Main Street and Archer Avenue at the Jamaica Long Island Rail Road station, when Main Street was extended south to the Grand Central Parkway. The company advertised the route as the shortest "from the entire North Shore" of Queens to Jamaica, running 15 minutes between terminals. Following the opening of the Bronx–Whitestone Bridge in April 1939, North Shore began operating bus service between West Farms Square in the Bronx and the 1939 New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park on July 1 of that year. On October 28, 1940, this route was combined with the Q44, running from Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike station (along the route that would become the ) through Whitestone and along East 177th Street in the Bronx to Tremont Avenue and Boston Road at West Farms Square. An alternate branch ran to Westchester Square, Bronx. By December of that year, the Q44 returned to Jamaica, running to the 165th Street Bus Terminal.
On July 1, 1939, the Q20 became interlined with the Q17, meaning that south of Flushing the bus would continue via the Q17 route to the Jamaica−165th Street terminal. The service was designated "Q17-20" or "Q20-17" and rollsigns would display Q17/20. Beginning on June 8, 1942, due to restrictions on gasoline and tire usage during World War II, the service was truncated to 14th Avenue and 122nd Street in College Point. Service north of 14th Avenue was restored on February 4, 1946. The Q20 was separated from the Q17 during off-peak "base period" hours on January 27, 1947. In March of that year, North Shore Bus would be taken over by the New York City Board of Transportation (later the New York City Transit Authority [NYCTA]), making the bus routes city operated. The joint Q17-20 service later became popular among students of St. John's University, and residents from Jamaica Estates and Flushing Heights (now Kew Gardens Hills) shopping in Downtown Flushing.
On February 3, 1957, the NYCTA separated the Q17 and Q20 services at all times, eliminated service north of 14th Avenue and 122nd Street (College Point Boulevard), and renamed the Q20 the Q44FS (Flushing Shuttle). It was one of several routes using the "Q44" designation including the Q44 itself, the Q44A (now the ), the Q44B (a shuttle to Malba, Queens which has since been discontinued), and the Q44VP (later the Q74).
During the 1964 New York World's Fair, special Q44 service was inaugurated, running to the Rodman Street entrance of Flushing Meadows Park. The routes, designated "Q44 WF" and marked "World's Fair", originated from either West Farms Square or 165th Street and made stops on the Bronx or Queens portions of the route respectively before terminating at the fair.
On July 11, 1966, the NYCTA moved the terminals of the Q13, Q14, Q16, Q28, and Q44FS from downtown Flushing to the Flushing Parking Field surrounded by 37th Avenue, Union Street, 138th Street, and 39th Avenue on a six-month pilot basis. The change, which was made at the request of multiple Queens elected officials, was intended to provide shelter for riders and reduce downtown congestion. However, due to immediate opposition from shoppers, who complained that the change forced them to walk four blocks to get from the subway to the buses, businessmen, and elected officials, on July 20, 1966, the NYCTA announced that it would undo the change on July 24. Q13, Q16, and Q28 service would go back to terminating on the north side of Roosevelt Avenue to the east of Main Street, while Q14 and Q44FS service would resume terminating on the east side of Main Street at 39th Avenue. Queens Borough President Mario Cariello had sent a letter to the NYCTA asking for the change in service to be reversed on July 18. The NYCTA had made the change in service at his request in April. Cariello noted that many of his constituents had requested the change.