New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is relaunching the Customer Ambassador Program to raise public awareness of the final route changes coming up in the Queens Bus Network Redesign, which will mark the full implementation of the bus service improvement plan across the borough. 

The remaining set of changes will take effect on August 31. The Customer Ambassador Program will run through  Sept. 12. 

The first phase of the plan, launched June 29, encompassed nearly 70% of the plan’s changes and was concentrated in Eastern Queens, including neighborhoods of Ridgewood, Flushing, and Fresh Meadows. 

The final phase is concentrated in Western Queens, including Astoria, Long Island City, Jackson Heights, Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Howard Beach, and Far Rockaway.

“We’re bringing back our Customer Ambassador Program to remind customers of the improvements coming to their neighborhood and to plan,” said New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “We encourage riders to ask questions or take a pamphlet from one of the ambassadors who will be easily visible in an orange and yellow vest. We also plan to boost staffing for the start of the school year to make sure riders have the support they need to make this transition as smooth as possible.”

MTA’s Ambassador Program

The customer ambassador program aims to raise awareness of the upcoming changes and to ensure riders are prepared for the implementation of the updated network. The outreach program will continue through the first two weeks of September and will have covered 58 locations over four weeks. 

MTA employees will begin staffing key bus stops to help customers navigate the new network, with some additional support provided by New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) employees.

The Queens Bus Network Redesign is a historic effort to transform the nearly 70-year-old bus system with updates to both express and local bus service to match better the growth and travel patterns the borough has seen over the years. 

The bus service improvement plan will bring new and improved transit service to New York City’s largest borough, boasting over 800,000 daily riders. Except for the Q44, Q53, and Q70, this project touches every route in Queens, resulting in one of the most comprehensive service changes in MTA history — and an extensive community outreach process to match it. 

The Redesign team worked iteratively over the last six years to develop and refine proposals that better meet rider needs, modernize service, and improve operations for the MTA workforce. After an extensive outreach process of over 250 events, including a public hearing, and more than 18,000 comments, the final version of the Queens Bus Network Redesign was approved by the MTA board in January.