The Q70 LaGuardia Link: the free bus locals actually use
It's free, it runs 24 hours, and it connects every LGA terminal to the subway and LIRR — here's how to ride it and when it beats a car.
If you ask a New Yorker who actually flies out of LaGuardia how they get there, a surprising number will tell you one word: the Q70. The LaGuardia Link SBS is the free express bus that connects the airport terminals to the subway, and it has quietly become the default for people who know the corridor. It isn’t glamorous — it’s an articulated city bus — but it is fast, it is frequent, and since 1 May 2022 it costs nothing to board. No fare, no tap, no machine. You just get on.
Free since 2022, and running all night
The Q70 went fare-free in May 2022 and has stayed that way. That matters more than it sounds, because it removes the one friction point that used to slow the line down: nobody is fumbling with a card or feeding a machine, so boarding is quick at every door. The bus runs 24 hours a day, roughly every 8–10 minutes during the day, with longer gaps overnight. There is no schedule to memorize and no last departure to miss — if your red-eye lands at 2 a.m., the Q70 is still out front.
It is also, in practice, what New York got instead of the cancelled AirTrain. There is no rail link to the terminals. The Q70 is the rail link, in bus form, and the state’s own expert panel pointed to better bus service as the replacement plan.
The two hubs it serves
The whole trick to the Q70 is that it doesn’t go to Manhattan itself. It does one job — get you off the airport and onto the rail network — and it does it in about 10–15 minutes. It stops at two connection hubs (plus an intermediate stop at 94th St):
- Jackson Heights–74th St / Roosevelt Av — the big one. This single station puts you on the 7, E, F, M, and R trains.
- Woodside–61st St — your transfer to the LIRR (and the 7 again).
From the terminals the Q70 picks up at the bus stops outside Terminals B and C; follow the “LaGuardia Link / Q70” signage at arrivals.
Which train to take from each
This is where you decide your route before you board, not after:
- Going to Midtown West — Times Square, the 40s, Penn-ish? Take the Q70 to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Av and grab the 7 to Times Sq–42 St, or the E/F toward Midtown. The 7 also drops you at Grand Central for Midtown East.
- Going to East Midtown / Lexington corridor? The E or F from Roosevelt Av runs down into Manhattan’s east side; the 7 hits Grand Central directly.
- Want a seat and a fast run to Penn or Grand Central Madison? Ride one stop further to Woodside–61st St and transfer to the LIRR — about 10 minutes to Penn / Moynihan, with Grand Central Madison reachable too. That’s a separate move worth its own playbook, but Woodside is your jumping-off point.
What it actually costs
Here’s the math that makes the Q70 hard to argue with. The bus is free. Your only fare is the subway you transfer to: $3.00 as of 4 January 2026. So the entire trip from an LGA gate to most of Manhattan is $3.00, full stop.
If you’re riding OMNY all week, it’s even better — the fare cap kicks in after 12 rides in a rolling 7-day window ($35 weekly), so a frequent flyer’s airport run can effectively be free once you’ve hit the cap. Compare that to a taxi at $45–70 metered or a black car north of $75, and for a solo traveler with a carry-on it’s not close.
Why it beats a car at rush hour
The eight miles from LGA to Midtown are short on paper and brutal in practice — 20–30 minutes off-peak, but 45 to 60-plus minutes at rush, because every car route funnels onto the same bridge and tunnel approaches. A meter doesn’t stop running when traffic does. The Q70 + 7 train, by contrast, hands you off to a subway that goes under the traffic. At 5:30 on a weekday the train is frequently the faster door-to-door option, and it’s a tenth of the price.
The limits — be honest with yourself
The Q70 is not for everyone or every trip:
- Luggage. It’s a city bus. A backpack and a roller are fine; three checked bags and a stroller are a fight, especially at a crowded daytime departure.
- Stairs and transfers. You will change from bus to train, and most of those stations involve stairs. Roosevelt Av has some elevator access but don’t count on a step-free trip end to end.
- Late nights. It runs 24 hours, but overnight headways stretch out and your connecting subway line may be running local or slow. After midnight, the time advantage shrinks and a cab or car starts to make more sense.
- Last-mile. It gets you to a subway, not your door. If your hotel is a long crosstown walk from the nearest station, factor that in.
For a Midtown-bound traveler in daylight with manageable bags, though, the Q70 is the move locals make for a reason: free, frequent, and faster than it has any right to be. Check the full arrivals board to match it against your specific destination.
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.