M60 Bus to LaGuardia Airport

Admittedly fast and cheap service from LaGuardia straight to the Metro North, which makes getting upstate a hell of a lot faster, but confusing new procedures if you haven’t been a townie in the last year. Apparently some buses with MTA are starting this new thing to pay at a ticket machine, pick up a receipt and use that to show you’ve paid during periodical sweeps.
So I get to the bus stop outside the LaG arrivals area. Alright, there are metrocard machines by the stop, check. But they don’t issue new metrocards. Dive back into the terminal where 2 machines sell metrocards. Fill metrocard. Come out thinking I’m ready to pay 2.75 like a good kid when I get on the bus.
When a bunch of ppl from LAG get on the bus, we show our metrocards and the driver just waves us to pass him, then just says «Pay Outside» over and over. Where? To whom? Why weren’t we stopped? We heard someone else on the bus mention that the penalty was a pretty steep $ 150 if the NYPD catches you. A woman said «Will you wait? I can get a ticket now» and the driver said «I don’t wait.» I asked where I find the machines and got another «pay outside» *door slam*. Alrighty then, guess I have no choice but to be locked in this bus and pray the NYPD doesn’t do a sweep. As we were driving away I noticed paper fliers in the bus about the change to the new Select Bus Service payment system. After observing a few stops I noticed the «ticket machines.» I seriously thought that thing was a parking meter.
Pros — Hands down, it’s cheap. There’s no NYC airport transit into manhattan that would ever be 2.75, flat. It was also fast (20 minutes from LaG to 125^th/​Lex but it was midday on a weekday.
Cons– confusing for anyone who hasn’t been in NYC in the last year, and based on the number of people traveling out of LGA who were also scratching their head, it’s gonna be like that for a while.

You know what really grinds my gears? The dreaded M60 SBS. One can easily wait 30 or 40 minutes to catch this travesty of a bus from Queens. After too long a wait be prepared for the first bus to be too crowded to board. Then pray there is an empty bus right behind it. Boooooo!!! This route sucks! I don’t use Unilocal to complain (usually) but, I have to call it like I see it.

This bus is the only way to get to LGA, without spending an absurd amount of money. I like that it’s now a Select Bus, so people pay outside and board, leading to a faster commute. You simply use the pay machines located at the M60+ stops, get your receipt and keep it as you board the bus from either of the 3 doors (Make sure you pay and get a receipt, as there is an MTA agent who goes around asking for receipts and give you a ticket if you don’t have one!). It took around 30 – 40 minutes to get from Harlem to Terminal C. It’s kind of infrequent, and was extremely crowded. But it’s the cheapest option to LGA.

Been waiting for 25 minutes for this bus on a Friday afternoon. HOW IS THIS OKAY. Get your crap together MTA!!! Not to mention the route it takes up to 125^th is so time consuming with the turns it need to make. So stupid!

Correct me if I am wrong because this is off memory but I think this bus comes every 20 minutes or so at the Astoria Blvd stop in Queens. I’ve taken it a few times to get to LaGuardia Airport or the route it travels through. I’ve taken it from upper Manhattan to Queens, so it serves as a multiple purpose bus. It is a good, fast and smooth commute most of the time. Often packed or fewer people on off peak hours but usually many people use this bus. Hey, if you’re lucky you might get a seat. Every once in a while a tourist with a big bag or huge luggage will come on board to take up space but that’s expected.
Remember to buy the ticket at the stand for two dollars and change or you might get fined. I’ve seen people avoid paying.

Best bus ever. So convenient and so amazing. Even has a nice view! I’ve used many a time to get to Astoria and even a few times to get to Laguardia, which was also convenient and pleasant. My favorite bus in the city!

This bus comes so infrequently that when it does come it comes in clusters of 2 buses and each of them are equally crowded. Buses will frequently skip stops that aren’t Steinway and Astoria Boulevard 31^st meaning that the line of people waiting to get on the bus at all the other stops gets even more crowded. CUT THE SHIT. WE NEED MORE BUS FREQUENCY IN UPPER ASTORIA AND STOP SKIPPING THE LITTLE STOPS YOU HAVE ON ROUTE WHEN THE BUS THAT JUST DROVE PASSED ALL OF US OBVIOUSLY HAD FIVE PEOPLE ON IT.
if I could pay my fare in 2.50 $ worth of human feces, I would.

This is one of the most overcrowded bus lines in the city, and there is no excuse because it is one of the main public transport links to LaGuardia.
The service is now «select» which means you must use a machine to pay your fare in advance. That way you can board using any door on the bus.
So I arrived at 9am and waited 15 minutes for a jammed packed bus. We were all squeezed like sardines. Boarding was quicker though.
The bus driver issued several warnings to «have your receipt ready» when the NYPD gets on the bus. The receipt is what you get from the machine when you pay your fare.
No cops got on the bus and how could they check receipts when the bus is packed with humans and their luggage.
Maybe «select» was an excuse to cut back on the frequency of this line. It was a very unpleasant experience.
A plea to the MTA = run more M60 buses!!!

Not sure how anyone has a positive review. The M60 bus is a crime against humanity. One can walk faster across Harlem.

Love the M60 to LGA!
This bus is full of suitcases so if you just want to get across town on 125, you’re better off any other bus other than the M60.
Please know that you need a ticket from the Select Bus kiosk before you board. Don’t hold up the airport workers and travelers because you don’t have your ticket!

It was a cold night when I flew into LaGuardia and I didn’t have a warm coat with me. So rather than take the Q70 to the E train, I figured I’d take the M60 to the Q or N. And you know what? I got home faster that way!
I rode on an M60 Select Bus Service bus. I don’t know if they’re all that way but you need to get your receipt from the machine at the stop before you board the bus. It makes loading and unloading very easy because there are three doors and plenty of room for luggage.
Boarding at Terminal D, it will take you probably another 20 minutes to get out of the airport because there are stops at Terminal C, the Main Terminal, Marine Air Terminal and one right outside of the airport. After that, there was a stop at Steinway and then «boom», next stop is Astoria Blvd.
It should be noted that Astoria Blvd is an elevated station so it’s quite a climb from the street to the platform and with luggage it can be a pain, But within 16 minutes of getting on the train there, I was exiting the 57^th Street station so it gets you to midtown fast.
I think the SBS setup is genius because if you’ve ever waited for 20 people to pay their fares as they board a bus, you would recognize this makes things go much faster.

Not worth it. Remember when you didn’t have to wait 45 minutes for a bus? Not anymore! With the M60 being run by sbs, you’ll be lucky if it comes at all.
My advice, don’t buy your ticket unless you see it coming. Grab a Q instead

This was advertised as an express bus to LGA with limited stops. It took 20 minutes for the bus to go into service and stopped at about every intersection! NOT a good way to get to LGA!

So the M60 is now part of the SBS service which uses some reserved bus only lanes in some parts of Manhattan. This means the travel times are more reliable and it has fewer stops to get to and from the airport.
I was confused the first time I used the bus as I couldn’t locate the ticket booths and then waited on the wrong side of the road at the stop near 125^th and Lexington. You have to pay for your ticket in advance using your metrocard at the machines near the bus stop. It still costs $ 2.50 per ride. You get a receipt and keep that as your proof if purchase. Boarding can be done from any door as long as you have a ticket.
The bus fleet is new and comfortable with luggage racks and various seating options. I found that because it doesn’t make many stops like before, the passengers are not as diverse (being polite here)… It was a more comfortable ride for sure.
The travel time was about 30 – 45 mins depending on the terminal you are getting off. The bus drivers are strict with their timing as a bus appears every 10 mins during frequent service. You can also use the bus stop number and text to find out real time when the next bus will arrive which is handy when you are trying to decide whether to catch a cab or wait.
SBS has turned this into a reliable, comfortable and of course affordable way to get to and from La Guardia airport.

prima verbindung vom norden manhattans zum flughafen la guardia. 2,50 $ (münzen!!), fahrtdauer ca. 45 minuten

The entire SBS ticketing system is flawed. The same route includes a local Q19 bus that does not accept SBS tickets. I find this ridiculous and whoever came up with this system should have allowed people to get on local buses on the same route, since they already paid the fare. On top of that, you can’t transfer if you buy a ticket with coins at the kiosk. Overall, you should have ability to transfer from bus to train?
The idiots in the MTA need to revamp the entire Metrocard system. After 12 years they still can’t fix this annoyances. MTA business as usual I guess. Just hire a bunch of retards and pretend to come up with new plans that do nothing but frustrate riders. MTA response would be…“so don’t take the bus/​trains”. Well sure, I can understand you saying that since that’s an admission of failure, and believe me I would much rather drive. I only take it because there is NO other choice, therefore you are a monopoly, but hey enjoy your lazy jobs since most of you MTA employees can’t amount to anything else in life.

So I caught this bus near Astoria (sp?).
I took the N to Astoria and then hopped on this. Since I had purchased a week mta pass I wanted to get the most value out of it and decided to do the public transportation route back to the airport.
For the price it can’t be beat. I believe it’s $ 2.50 per person per way, but you can use your mta card for the fee. Just remember to buy your ticket at the station before you board. If you’re flying out of gate b you can hop off early and cross on foot or if you’re not in a hurry stay for the ride and they will circle back to terminal b and have your right at the doors.
This would be my choice of transportation from the airport into the city.

As a civil engineer, you always hope that innovative systems such as a BRT can help alleviate some of the issues you have. But with M60, it seems more like nothing has been improved and other problems have been created.
It’s a crazy cost-​effective way to get from Manhattan to LaGuardia, but so much needs to be done before it actually gets the results it says it can give.
One of the problems I had with it last night was that many people still try to board without the proof-​of-​payment from the machine, and instead just try to use the Metro Card. The driver would just tell them to get off and get the proof-​of-​payment, and wait for them to do so, which holds up the entire bus and takes up even more time.

Gets the job done!
This bus route alone is reason enough to pick LGA over JFK. There’s no more cost effective way to get from the airport to manhattan. I waited less than 10 mins for the bus and it got me to 125^th in about 15 mins.
For 2.50 this bus will connect you to the subway system, metro north or just get you to Harlem quickly and that’s hard to beat.

When it is not rush hour and the weather is not bad, the M60 bus is one of the quickest and best ways to get from Harlem to Queens on Public Transportation. If you are looking to get from Harlem to Astoria, Jackson Heights, or Corona, this bus should be on your go to list.
If you are trying to get to Laguardia Airport and you have time, this bus is a great option. Try to avoid taking serious carry on Luggage with you on the bus.

Cheapest way to get to the airport from West Harlem. I get on at the 125^th stop and it usually takes me about 45 to get to the airport. I’ve taken cabs and it costs me $ 35 and I only shave ten minutes off. If not in a rush I prefer the bus.
If you get on early you can find a seat-​this bus gets really crowded but its really frequent and convenient.