M60 vs Q70: which LaGuardia bus is right for you
Two buses leave LGA cheap — one is free and feeds the whole subway, the other is a one-seat ride to Harlem and the Upper West Side. Pick by destination.
LaGuardia gives budget-minded travelers two genuinely good bus options, and people constantly mix them up. They serve almost opposite purposes. The Q70 LaGuardia Link is a free shuttle that exists to dump you onto the subway as fast as possible. The M60 SBS is a one-seat ride that actually crosses into Manhattan and runs the length of 125th Street. Choosing wrong can cost you 30 minutes and an extra transfer, so here’s the clean breakdown.
The Q70 in one line
Free since May 2022, runs 24 hours, every 8–10 minutes in the daytime. It connects the terminals to Jackson Heights–74th St / Roosevelt Av (subway 7, E, F, M, R) and Woodside–61st St (LIRR + 7) in roughly 10–15 minutes. From there you transfer to a train. Total cost to most of Manhattan: $3.00 — the bus is free, you only pay the one subway fare.
The Q70’s superpower is the network it hands you off to. Through Roosevelt Av you can reach Times Square, Grand Central, the East Side, Downtown, Brooklyn — anywhere the subway goes. It is the all-purpose option.
The M60 in one line
The M60 SBS is a single bus from LGA into Manhattan, no transfer required. Its route: LGA → Astoria (Astoria Blvd/31 St, where you can hop the N/W) → over the RFK (Triborough) Bridge → the full length of 125th Street → terminus at Broadway & W 106th St on the Upper West Side. Fare is $3.00, but note the catch: it’s Select Bus Service, so you pay at the sidewalk machine before boarding and keep your receipt as proof of payment. There’s no paying the driver.
Travel time is the thing to respect. LGA to 125th St runs about 20–30 minutes; all the way to the Upper West Side end is 40–60 minutes depending on bridge and crosstown traffic.
Where the M60 shines: Harlem and the Upper West Side
The M60 is built for one slice of the map, and on that slice nothing beats it. Along 125th Street it lines up with nearly every north–south line:
- 4/5/6 at Lexington Av
- 2/3 at Lenox Av
- A/B/C/D at St Nicholas Av
- 1 at Broadway
- Metro-North at Harlem–125th St
So if you’re headed for Harlem itself, Columbia, the Upper West Side, or you want a Metro-North connection northbound, the M60 is a one-seat, $3.00 ride that drops you right there. No backtracking through Queens, no train transfer with bags on a platform. For an Upper-West-Side-bound traveler especially, the M60 to its 106th & Broadway terminus can be the simplest trip of the day.
Where the Q70 wins: everywhere else
For almost any Midtown or Downtown destination, the Q70 is the better tool. It’s free, it’s more frequent (8–10 min vs the M60’s longer SBS headways), and the train it feeds you onto goes under traffic instead of sitting in it on the RFK Bridge. If you’re going to Times Square, Penn, Grand Central, the Village, FiDi, or Brooklyn, take the Q70 to Roosevelt Av and grab the 7 or E/F. Trying to force the M60 to those neighborhoods means riding to 125th St and then taking a subway south — slower and clunkier than just starting on the Q70.
Decision guide by destination
- Midtown (East or West), Times Square, Penn, Grand Central → Q70 + 7 or E/F.
- Downtown / FiDi / the Village / Brooklyn → Q70 + your line at Roosevelt Av.
- Harlem, 125th St corridor, Columbia → M60. One seat, right to the block.
- Upper West Side (north end / Morningside) → M60 to its 106th & Broadway terminus.
- Upper West Side (south, 60s–70s) → toss-up: Q70 + 1/2/3, or M60 + transfer down. If you have bags, the Q70 + train is usually less of a hassle.
- Metro-North north of the city → M60 to Harlem–125th, board Metro-North there.
A few honest caveats
Both are city buses, so heavy luggage is a chore on either. The M60’s bridge crossing is exposed to the same traffic that punishes cars, so at rush hour its 40–60 minute end-to-end time can balloon — when it’s bad, even the Upper West Side can be faster via Q70 + 1 train. And remember the M60’s pay-before-boarding rule: tap the sidewalk machine, take the receipt, or you risk a fine on a proof-of-payment route.
Match the bus to the neighborhood and both are bargains. For the full corridor picture, check the arrivals board.
How we report fares. Every figure in this bulletin is grounded in 2026 public sources — the MTA, the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission, the Port Authority and the MTA Congestion Relief Zone tariff — and re-checked each fare cycle. Found something out of date? Tell the desk.