165th Street Bus Terminal

The 165th Street Bus Terminal, also known as Jamaica Bus Terminal, the Long Island Bus Terminal (the name emblazoned on the entranceway's red tiles), Jamaica165th Street Terminal (as signed on buses towards the terminal), or simply 165th Street Terminal, was a major bus terminal in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. Owned by FBE Limited, the terminal served both NYCT and MTA Bus lines as well as NICE Bus lines to Nassau County, and was a hub to Green Bus Lines prior to MTA takeover. It was located at 89th Avenue and Merrick Boulevard, near the Queens Public Library's main branch. Most buses that pass through Jamaica served either this terminal, the Jamaica Center subway station at Parsons Boulevard, or the LIRR station at Sutphin Boulevard. Unlike other major bus centers in New York City, there was no direct subway transfer available to the terminal. The closest subway station was 169th Street on Hillside Avenue served by the F and <F> train. Most buses traveling to/from the east, which operate via Hillside Avenue, also stop at 179th Street served by the E, F, and <F> trains.

Construction on the "Long Island Bus Terminal" began in 1930, built by the Shore Road Development Company, Inc. with the intent of expanding transit service to and from Long Island. On August 11, 1936, Bee-Line, Inc. (one of the predecessors to the Nassau Inter-County Express) opened the terminal, operating routes from the terminal to the rest of Jamaica and Southeast Queens, and to Nassau County. It replaced the company's former terminal the Jamaica Union Bus Terminal at Jamaica Avenue and New York Boulevard (now Guy R. Brewer Boulevard), which was taken over by Green Bus Lines. The new terminal, which cost $1.5 million to build, featured a waiting room, lounge, and ticket offices. The bus terminal was enclosed by two one-story buildings on 165th Street and Merrick Boulevard respectively. Upon opening, the terminal served the BMT Jamaica Line's nearby terminal at 168th Street and Jamaica Avenue, and would serve the IND Queens Boulevard Line's 169th Street station on Hillside Avenue upon its completion in 1937. In May 1939, Bee-Line relinquished its Queens routes; these routes began ope

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