(NEW YORK, NY) — Transportation advocacy groups Riders Alliance and Global Gateway Alliance (GGA) hailed Governor Cuomo’s announcement today of a new “LaGuardia Link” shuttle bus that will connect airport visitors with the subway—an idea that the two groups had originally proposed last November.  The rebranded shuttle bus will operate as a Select Bus Service route and will replace the Q70 bus, offering airport visitors and transit riders a convenient, intuitive way to take public transit to LaGuardia.

 

The full proposal, laid out in a report from the Riders Alliance and endorsed by the Global Gateway Alliance, can be found at www.ridersny.org/LGA and is described in more detail below.

Images of the shuttle bus that Governor Cuomo announced today can be found at: https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/thumbnails/image/ShuttleBus.jpeg

 

John Raskin, Executive Director of the Riders Alliance, said, “Governor Cuomo is upending years of conventional wisdom that said you couldn’t get to LaGuardia easily by transit.  LaGuardia Link will make public transit an intuitive, convenient option for anyone flying into or out of LaGuardia.  This is a simple, cost-effective way to improve public transit access to the airport, and to encourage more people to consider transit when they’re headed to LaGuardia.

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Joe Sitt, Chairman of Global Gateway Alliance, said, “The best mass transit option to LaGuardia shouldn't be a secret, but for too long that's what the Q70 has been.  We're thrilled the Governor and the MTA have heard the calls from GGA and the Rider's Alliance to take the common sense step of branding this as an Airport Express.

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LaGuardia has the worst mass transit access of any of our major airports. Both passengers and airlines agree that transit to and from the city’s airport is in desperate need of an overhaul. Today's announcement is a step in the right direction for millions of passengers.”

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Additionally, the two organizations continue to support one element of the proposal not adopted in the Governor’s announcement: the proposal to make the shuttle bus free, a cost-effective move that would attract ridership to the city’s transit system.