The QBx1 was in operation since at least the mid-1960s under the Queens Transit Corporation, labeled the "Bx1" on Queens bus maps. The route originally operated between Flushing and Pelham Bay Park. By 1968, the QBx1 was extended to Co-op City. The bus company would become Queens-Steinway Transit Corporation in 1986, and Queens Surface Corporation in 1988. On February 27, 2005, the
MTA Bus Company took over the operations of the Queens Surface routes as part of the city's takeover of all the remaining privately operated bus routes. In 2009, ten buses from the
Eastchester Depot near Co-op City (the former
New York Bus Service depot) began to operate on QBx1 service. Two additional stops in the Bronx were added to the route in June 2010, at Baisley Avenue (southbound) and Kearny Avenue (northbound) both at
Bruckner Boulevard, to connect with a pedestrian overpass to the
Country Club neighborhood.
QBx1 split On September 12, 2010, the QBx1 was split into the Q50 Limited and Bx23 routes, simplifying the many service patterns of the former QBx1 route, but eliminating direct service between Pelham Bay and the individual sections of Co-op City. In addition, the changes were made in conjunction with controversial cuts in service to other Co-op City routes during the MTA's 2010 budget crisis, and received negative input from the community. On June 29, 2014, the rush hour service pattern of the Bx23 was eliminated, with the off-peak pattern going into effect at all times. In addition, a stop on the Bx23 was added at Adler Place in the Asch Loop. A stop for the Q50 was also added outside the Dreiser Loop. These changes were the result of a study of bus routes in Co-op City. The final Bronx bus plan did not modify the Bx23's routing or stop locations, though the frequency of the route was to be increased. Additionally, in December 2019, the MTA released a draft redesign of the Queens bus network. As part of the Queens redesign, the Q50 would have become the QT50, extended to
LaGuardia Airport; the northern section in Co-op City would have been truncated. Both redesigns were delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020. The original Queens draft plan was dropped due to negative feedback, while the implementation of the Bronx redesign was postponed to mid-2022. A revised Queens draft plan was released in March 2022. The plan for the Q50 is similar to that in the 2019 redesign and would still serve LaGuardia Airport. The Bronx bus redesign took effect on June 26, 2022; as part of the Bronx redesign, the Q50 only served Co-op City during rush hours, terminating at Pelham Bay Park during all other times. A final bus redesign plan for Queens was released in December 2023. The Q50 would still be extended to LaGuardia Airport but would use Roosevelt Avenue instead, taking over the routing of the previous Q48 route. The Q50 would also start running 24/7. On December 17, 2024, addendums to the final plan were released. A stop in both directions was placed at Whitestone Expressway/14th Avenue for customer benefits from College Point and Whitestone, and current daytime patterns were retained. Because of circumstances facing service to LaGuardia Airport, the Q50 was not extended from Flushing to LaGuardia. Instead, existing service between Flushing and LaGuardia Airport was largely retained; the former Q48 was replaced with the Q90 limited-stop service, which makes fewer stops and runs via Seaver Way in
Willets Point instead of 108th Street in Corona. On January 29, 2025, the current plan was approved by the MTA Board, and the Queens Bus Redesign went into effect in two different phases during Summer 2025. The Q50 is part of Phase I, which started on June 29, 2025. == Bike racks ==