PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING BUS ROUTE CHANGES TO SERVE NEW RAPID TRANSIT LINES: THE ARCHER AVENUE EXPERIENCE IN NEW YORK

On December 11, 1988, the New York City Transit Authority opened the Archer Avenue Rapid Transit Line in Jamaica, Queens. Along with this subway extension, bus routes from Southeastern Queens were rerouted to serve the new rapid transit line. The planning process and ultimate bus service plan for Archer Avenue are described. Elements of the marketing effort are presented, and the actual operation of the bus routes in the first 6 months following the change is analyzed. The conclusions address factors that either contributed to, or detracted from, the overall success of this project. Negative factors included legal issues with the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and delays in construction of the bus canopy at Archer Avenue. Factors contributing to the success of the project were innovations in providing limited-stop bus service in the Merrick Boulevard corridor, establishment of convenient intermodal transfer facilities, and aggressive marketing of service changes.