City eyes faster bus service to LaGuardia

The city is hoping to ease the infamously difficult trek to LaGuardia Airport by adding three Select Bus Service routes to the airport, officials said Thursday.

The city, MTA and Department of Transportation outlined the potential new routes, all of which would run with the limited-stop and quick-ticket system the current four Select Bus routes use.

The first would run across Manhattan at 125th Street along the same route as the M60 but with fewer stops. Officials said it could shave up to nine minutes off current travel time from upper Manhattan.

The second line would run from Webster Avenue in the Bronx and down the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge to the airport, saving about 40 minutes of travel time.

The final line would be a straight shot from Woodside to LaGuardia along the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, saving about 15 minutes.

The proposed lines, which could still change, are expected to be reviewed by the MTA board in the next few months. The Manhattan and Bronx routes would likely start next year, and the Queens route would follow in 2014.

"The MTA is always working to make it easier to get around, and faster rides to LaGuardia will be a huge benefit for our customers," MTA chief Joseph Lhota said. "Select Bus Service to the airport will make LaGuardia more convenient for travelers as well as airport workers, and that means a boost for the entire New York economy."

Introduced in 2008, Select Bus aims to cut down travel time by requiring riders to buy tickets before boarding, making fewer stops and traveling in bus-only lanes. Drivers can also trigger extended green lights at some intersections.

Four routes are in use, including along First and Second avenues, servicing some 100,000 commuters daily, according to the MTA.