How the M60 Actually Works If You Are Trying to Get to LaGuardia From Manhattan
The M60 SBS runs along 116th Street and Broadway in Upper Manhattan, and it is the primary public transit option for reaching LaGuardia Airport without paying for a taxi or ride-share. The route starts near 125th Street, travels north on Broadway, turns onto 116th Street, crosses into Queens via the RFK Tunnel, and drops passengers at all four LaGuardia terminals. It runs 24 hours a day, which is not something you can say about most bus routes in this city. The frequency during peak hours is roughly every 10 to 15 minutes, and it drops to about every 20 minutes overnight. That timeline can shift depending on traffic in Astoria and how many people are boarding at the 125th Street hub. Getting on the bus is straightforward. You pay at the door using OMNY by tapping your phone or contactless card, or you can use a MetroCard at the payment machine inside the bus before you board. You do not swipe again when you exit. The whole process takes about 5 to 10 seconds per person, but if you are traveling in a group larger than three, expect a delay because everyone has to tap individually. I learned this the hard way once when four of us tried to board with full carry-ons during a rainstorm. The person behind us was already checking their flight status on their phone while the bus sat there for nearly two full minutes. My workaround is simple: tap your card first, then drag your bags up after you have already paid. It cuts the boarding time down significantly and keeps the line moving. The travel time from 125th Street to LaGuardia typically lands between 35 and 55 minutes, depending on when you ride and how bad the traffic is on the Queens side. Rush hour on weekdays between 7 and 9 AM and 5 and 7 PM can push that closer to an hour or slightly more. Late night runs are usually faster because the RFK Tunnel and Ditmars Boulevard see far less congestion. The MTA app shows real-time arrivals, but the estimates are not always accurate during heavy rain or major incidents. I recommend treating the app estimate as a best-case scenario and adding a 10-minute buffer if you have a flight to catch.
One thing most people miss is that the M60 does not stop at every terminal in the same way. The bus pulls into a stop near the Delta and American terminals first, then continues to the United terminal area. If you are staying at a hotel near Terminal 4 or the long-term parking garages, you may need to walk or transfer to the free LaGuardia shuttle once you get off. The bus itself does not go door-to-door inside the airport complex. This matters more than you might think if you are traveling with a lot of luggage or if you have a tight connection. The walk from the bus stop to Terminal B at American Airlines is maybe five minutes, but with a large suitcase on a crowded sidewalk in winter, that feeling stretches out considerably. There is also a common misconception that the M60 goes to JFK. It does not. If your flight leaves from JFK, you need to take the M60 to the 125th Street subway station and transfer to the A train, or take the Q70 SBS from other parts of Queens. The Q70 is actually the official LaGuardia shuttle bus and connects to the Mets-Willets Point station where you can catch the 7 train or E train. It is a different route entirely, and mixing them up will cost you time and possibly a missed flight. I made this mistake once in 2019 when I thought the M60 went to JFK because my friend told me "just take the bus." The trip from Manhattan to JFK via public transit using that wrong assumption took me over two hours instead of the expected forty-five minutes. I ended up taking an Uber from the M60 stop in Astoria because my flight was in three hours and I was already late. The bus is air-conditioned and has bike racks on the front, but those racks hold maybe two or three bikes at most and they fill up quickly on weekend mornings. If you are bringing a bicycle and planning to ride the M60, go early or consider taking the subway instead. The subway is faster during peak hours but carries its own set of problems with luggage. There is also no guaranteed seating on the M60 during morning rush. You will often be standing for the entire ride if you board at 125th Street between 8 and 9 AM on a weekday. That is not a dealbreaker for most people, but it is worth knowing before you show up with a heavy backpack and an early morning flight.
If you want to check the current schedule, the MTA website has the most up-to-date information, and the MyMTA app gives you live tracking. You can also find scheduled times at the bus stops themselves, though those posted signs sometimes lag behind service changes. The M60 has had service adjustments before, including a brief suspension during the pandemic and a temporary reroute when there was construction on Broadway near 110th Street. Always double-check before you leave home if your flight is within the next twelve hours. A thirty-minute service disruption will ruin your plans if you are not aware of it. For most people living in Upper Manhattan, especially around Harlem or Washington Heights, the M60 is a solid and inexpensive way to reach LaGuardia. It costs the same flat fare as any other bus in New York City, which at the time of writing is $2.90 with OMNY or a MetroCard. That is dramatically cheaper than a taxi, which will run you $50 to $70 depending on traffic and tolls. The trade-off is time and comfort. If you value getting there fast and having a seat, a ride-share or taxi is the better choice. If you want to save money and do not mind standing for forty-five minutes, the M60 will get you there reliably.
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