June 27, 2014 By Michael Florio
The MTA bus that connects Long Island City with Astoria, via Vernon Blvd., will start offering weekend service this Sunday.
The expanded Q 103 service will be offered on a trial basis over summer, where the MTA will offer weekend service as well as extended weekday hours.
The Q103 currently does not offer weekend service and weekday service ends at 6 pm.
Throughout summer, the Q 103 bus route will now run on weekends, where it will operate northbound from 8am to 8 pm and southbound from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm.
Meanwhile, on weekdays the Q103 will operate northbound from 6:20 am to 9:30 pm and southbound from 5:40 am to 9 pm.
State Senator Michael Gianaris said he wants to see this expanded Q 103 service become permanent. He has said that there is a greater need for public transportation in the area as more people flock to restaurants, parks, and cultural institutions in both neighborhoods.
“I am thrilled the MTA is finally realizing western Queens’ need for increased mass transit is real and pressing,” he said. “This trial expansion is a major step forward and I urge the MTA to take this good idea and make it a permanent reality.”
The trial period goes into effect a little less than a year after the MTA expanded its Q 103 weekday service—when the number of daily trips was increased from 25 to 30. However, at the time, local leaders expressed disappointment that the increased service neglected to include weekend service.
