Union Turnpike express buses

qm1 / qm5 / qm6 qm7 / qm8 qm31 / qm35 /qm36
Union Turnpike Manhattan–Queens Express
A 2007 Motor Coach D4500CL (3471) on the Glen Oaks-bound QM5 at Union Turnpike/164th Street in June 2018
Overview
System	MTA Regional Bus Operations
Operator	MTA Bus Company
Garage	College Point Depot
Vehicle	MCI D4500CL Prevost X3-45[1]
Began service	February 26, 1968 (QM1)[2]
Route
Locale	Queens and Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Communities served	Queens: Kew Gardens Hills, Hillcrest, Fresh Meadows, Hollis Hills, Oakland Gardens, Bellerose, Little Neck, Glen Oaks Nassau County: Lake Success
Start	Fresh Meadows, Queens – 188th Street & Horace Harding Expressway (QM1, QM7, QM31) Glen Oaks, Queens – 260th Street & Union Turnpike (QM5, QM8, QM35) Glen Oaks, Queens / Lake Success, Nassau County – North Shore Towers (QM6, QM36)
Via	Union Turnpike, Queens Boulevard, Long Island Expressway & Midtown Tunnel (westbound) / Queensboro Bridge (eastbound)
End	Midtown Manhattan – Sixth Avenue (QM1, QM5, QM6) Midtown Manhattan – Third Avenue (QM31, QM35, QM36) Downtown Manhattan – Downtown Loop (QM7, QM8)
Other routes	Q46 Union Turnpike
Service
Operates	(see below)[3][4]
Annual patronage	QM1/QM31: 76,872 (2023)[5] QM5/QM35: 388,451 (2023)[5] QM6/QM36: 211,345 (2023)[5] QM7: 109,619 (2023)[5] QM8: 93,663 (2023)[5]
Transfers	Yes
Timetable	QM1/QM5/QM6/QM31/QM35/QM36 QM7/QM8
Route map Lake Success – North Shore Towers  QM6   QM36  Queens Nassau LIJ Hospital Lakeville Road / Union Turnpike Nassau Queens 265th Street Glen Oaks – 260th Street  QM5   QM8   QM35  QM5, QM8, QM35 via Horace Harding & 73rd Avenue 260th Street / 74th Avenue 260th Street / 73rd Avenue Little Neck Parkway Grand Central Parkway 252nd Street–Cullman Avenue 61st Avenue 60th Avenue Nassau Boulevard / Horace Harding Expressway 251st Street 248th Street Marathon Parkway Winchester Boulevard 246th Place 244th Street Douglaston Parkway / Horace Harding Expressway 61st Avenue 65th Avenue 235th Street West Alley Road–233rd Street 231st Street Cloverdale Boulevard 226th Street 224th Street Springfield Boulevard / Horace Harding Expressway Springfield Boulevard / 64th Avenue Springfield Boulevard / 67th Avenue Springfield Boulevard / 69th Avenue Springfield Boulevard / 73rd Avenue 220th Street 218th Street Bell Boulevard 213th Street 211th Street 210th Street 197th–198th Streets 193rd Street Fresh Meadows – 188th Street  QM1   QM7   QM31  QM1, QM7, QM31 via 188th Street 64th Avenue 186th Lane 69th Avenue QM5, QM35 off-peak only 73rd Avenue 75th Avenue 188th Street inbound transfer Chevy Chase Street outbuond transfer Utopia Parkway 168th Street 164th Street Parsons Boulevard 150th–153rd Streets Main Street express via Queens Boulevard inbound via L.I. Expressway, Midtown Tunnel (QM7/8 both directions) outbound via Queens Boulevard Queensboro Bridge | Queens-Midtown Tunnel Queens Manhattan QM7, QM8 express via FDR Drive QM1, QM5, QM6 via 34th Street, 6th Avenue, 57th Street QM31, QM35, QM36 via 3rd Avenue 3rd Avenue Park Avenue ​ 5th Avenue 37th–38th Streets first stops to Queens 42nd–43rd Streets ​​​​​ 45th Street 49th–50th Streets ​​​ Midtown – 55th Street  QM31   QM35   QM36  Madison Avenue Midtown – Lexington Avenue  QM1   QM5   QM6  QM7, QM8 express via FDR Drive Pearl Street  QM7   QM8  last inbound, first outbound stop Maiden Lane Gouverneur Lane  QM8SX  QM8 Super Express via FDR Drive Intermittent stops Broad Street ​​​ State Street ​ Morris Street ​​​ Rector Street ​ Vesey Street ​ Park Row Legend Two-way stop One-way stop  QM1  Terminal ​ Subway connection PATH connection ← BxM18 ← QM4 ←QM25 ←QM34  {{{system_nav}}}  QM2 → QM10→ QM32→ QM40 →

The QM1, QM5, QM6, QM7, QM8, QM31, QM35, and QM36 bus routes constitute a public transit line in New York City, operating express between Northeast Queens and Midtown or Downtown Manhattan. The routes operate primarily on Union Turnpike in Queens, and travel non-stop via Queens Boulevard, the Long Island Expressway, and the Midtown Tunnel or Queensboro Bridge between Queens and Manhattan.

The routes are numbered based on their origin and destination; buses that run to Third Avenue in Midtown Manhattan are double-digit routes that start with the number "3" or "4", while all other routes are single-digit routes. In Manhattan, the QM1, QM5, and QM6 buses run via Sixth Avenue in Midtown; the QM31, QM35, and QM36 buses run via Third Avenue in Midtown; and the QM7 and QM8 buses run through the Financial District. In Queens, the QM1, QM7, and QM31 run to 188th Street and Horace Harding Expressway; the QM5, QM8, and QM35 run to 260th Street and Union Turnpike via the Horace Harding Expressway; and the QM6 and QM36 go to North Shore Towers. Some QM8 buses employ "Super Express" service, with larger non-stop sections during the trip.

The routes were originally privately operated under the QM1 and QM1A designations by Steinway Transit Corporation and Queens Surface Corporation from 1968 to 2005. The routes are now operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations under the MTA Bus Company brand. Following MTA takeover, the two designations were split into eight different routes signifying different service patterns.^[6]