Friday, May 15, 2026. The summer 2026 ferry timetable lands Monday — meaning today and Sunday are the last two days the spring schedule runs. The bigger commute story is Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s announcement this week of a brand-new center-running bus lane along Broadway in Queens, aimed squarely at the Q70-SBS to LaGuardia. Here is what bus and ferry riders need to know heading into the weekend.
NYC Ferry: Spring Schedule’s Last Weekend
NYC Ferry’s spring 2026 schedule has been operating since April 8 and runs through Sunday, May 17. The summer 2026 schedule takes over Monday, May 18 — and it is the biggest seasonal shake-up of the year.
Here is what changes on Monday:
- East River route splits on weekends. Starting Memorial Day weekend, the East River route operates as two separate routes on Saturdays and Sundays. Free transfers will be available at DUMBO, Wall St/Pier 11, and East 34th Street.
- East River weekday afternoons shift. Afternoon departure times on the East River route change starting Monday — review the app before your evening commute.
- South Brooklyn extends on weekends. Weekend South Brooklyn service will reach Sunset Park/BAT and Bay Ridge but will skip Governors Island. To get to Governors Island on weekends, transfer at Wall St/Pier 11 to the Governors Island/Pier 11 shuttle.
- Rockaway reservations return. Beginning Memorial Day weekend, riders can reserve a spot on certain peak weekend and holiday departures heading to and from Rockaway.
- Holiday schedules. All routes will run a weekend schedule on Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day) and Friday, June 19 (Juneteenth).
This weekend, May 16 and 17, still operates on the spring 2026 weekend timetable. If you are planning a beach run to Rockaway or a Governors Island day trip, check the NYC Ferry app the night before — the rollout to the summer schedule begins early Monday morning.
The Q70-SBS Is About to Get Faster: Broadway Bus Lane Coming
On Wednesday, May 13, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn announced a new dedicated, center-running eastbound bus lane along Broadway in Queens — running between 69th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights.
This is a direct response to one of the most embarrassing numbers in NYC transit: Q70-SBS buses currently crawl along that corridor at speeds as low as 2.7 mph during evening rush hour. The average human walking pace is about 3 mph. People can literally walk faster than the bus that connects the city to LaGuardia.
The corridor serves about 9,000 daily Q70-SBS riders connecting to:
- The 7, E, F, M, and R subway lines
- The Long Island Rail Road
- Multiple local bus routes through Jackson Heights and Elmhurst
- LaGuardia Airport via the LGA Link service
The lane will keep one travel lane in each direction for general traffic. The city is racing to complete the project before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the first Meadowlands match scheduled for June 13. Construction details and an exact opening date have not been published — we will update as DOT releases the timeline.
Commuter Tip: If you are flying out of LaGuardia this weekend and using the Q70-SBS, build extra cushion into your evening trip. The lane is coming, but it is not open yet. Travel times along Broadway in Jackson Heights have not changed yet.
Staten Island Ferry: Weekend Service
The Staten Island Ferry continues its standard weekend service — boats depart at least every 30 minutes from St. George and Whitehall around the clock, with more frequent service during daytime hours. The free ferry remains the easiest way to see the Statue of Liberty without paying for a tour boat.
What Bus Riders Should Watch For This Weekend
A few smaller items worth tracking:
- Queens Bus Network Redesign post-implementation review. The MTA is preparing its spring 2026 post-implementation analysis of Phase 1 of the Queens redesign, which went live in late June 2025 and added 16 new routes, modified 67 routes, and discontinued five. If you ride a Q-route, expect the agency to publish ridership and on-time data in the coming weeks.
- Brooklyn Bus Network Redesign. Still in the “Proposed Final Plan” stage. No rollout date yet — but if you ride Brooklyn buses, this is the thing to track over the summer.
- Memorial Day weekend prep. Two weekends from now, ferry and bus schedules shift into full summer mode. Today is a good day to download the latest version of the NYC Ferry and MYmta apps.
This Weekend’s Bus & Ferry Cheat Sheet
- Ferry schedule: Spring 2026 timetable through Sunday, May 17. Summer schedule begins Monday, May 18.
- South Brooklyn ferry: Last weekend on current schedule before the Memorial Day weekend changes.
- Q70-SBS to LaGuardia: No service changes yet — build in extra time. New Broadway bus lane is coming but not yet operational.
- Staten Island Ferry: Standard weekend service, at least every 30 minutes.
For the most up-to-date bus and ferry information, check the MTA alerts page, the NYC Ferry schedule page, and the relevant agency apps. The summer ferry rollout on Monday is the single biggest schedule change of the spring, so save the new timetables to your phone before your Monday commute.
Sources: NYC Ferry official summer 2026 schedule announcement (ferry.nyc, April 30, 2026); NYC Ferry South Brooklyn schedule update (ferry.nyc, April 29, 2026); Office of the Mayor of New York City press release “Mayor Mamdani Announces New Broadway Bus Lane to Better Serve LaGuardia Airport Travelers and Queens Residents Ahead of the World Cup” (nyc.gov, May 13, 2026); MTA Queens Bus Network Redesign project page.
