The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Bus Company announced today that two Queens local bus routes will see increased off-peak service this September to meet shifting ridership demands as residential and commercial development in the Long Island City and downtown Jamaica areas continue to grow.

“We’re trying numerous approaches in the Fast Forward plan to win back bus customers by making service better for everyone,” said MTA Bus Company President Darryl Irick. “Adding service outside traditional commute times and on weekends will benefit customers who take these routes as well as attract new customers who might be using other modes of transportation right now.”

The changes are part of the Fast Forward plan to modernize NYC Transit, which seeks, among other goals, to improve bus service and arrest the nationwide trend of falling bus ridership by redesigning the entire bus network throughout New York City.

The Q6 connects the Sutphin Boulevard corridor in downtown Jamaica to the John F. Kennedy International Airport cargo area, bringing Jamaica residents to its busy commercial district and employees to airport facilities including a large United States Post Office in the airport area. Several new residential and commercial developments are underway in the service area due to their proximity to the Sutphin-Jamaica transit hub for the  subway lines and Long Island Rail Road.

Already a busy route with high frequency and ridership, Q6 service will benefit more than 10,000 customers who ride the buses throughout the week as they travel to work, school or shop in the densely populated Sutphin Boulevard area. In September MTA Bus will increase Q6 service during weekday midday and evening hours and all hours on Sunday to help mitigate crowding and to attract customers currently using other means of transportation. Planned service increases on Saturdays will be implemented in July.

MTA Bus Company also plans to increase off-peak service on the Q69, a local route connecting Jackson Heights to subway lines in Astoria and Long Island City via the Ditmars Boulevard and 21^st Street commercial corridors. More than 9,500 customers will benefit from increased service on the Q69, and shifting ridership demand is expected as several residential and mixed-use buildings are in development or nearing completion in Long Island City near the Queensboro Plaza, Queens Plaza and Court Square subway stations. MTA Bus Company will conduct extensive marketing to advertise these service increases, which are planned for weekday middays and weekends, to alert local customers to these new travel options.