Here in New York City, we have an adequate bus system, serving the needs of most commuters. We have services which other towns and cities upstate don't usually have. Upstate transit systems are small, for the most part, with the exception of several transit systems.
Many of the bus systems in upstate are not holding good enough service, and it's only getting worse. Many transit systems in upstate are struggling to keep operating costs together, and therefore feel that they need to cut service. We'll not several transit systems that have face the decisions to cut service because of inadequate funding.
1. Tioga Ride (Tioga County, NY; serving parts of Tompkins and Broome County; now discontinued)
Tioga County shut down it's bus system after 20 years of operation. Here's an excerpt of an article
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Last stop for Tioga Transit?
Emotion were at high at the public hearing tonight. Many of the C-TRAN customers argued that their voices haven't been heard and these new changes would affect their quality of life.
"This is public transportation. That's means we're supposed to be able to go to our doctors. We're supposed to be able to go to our grocery stores. We're supposed to be able to go to work," said Sharon Avery, C-TRAN customer.
C-TRAN Bus customers are not giving up just yet. Hoping their voices would be heard down to the very last decision because for many of them the proposed service changes mean life or death.
"The only way he can get back and forth to dialysis is to take the bus and pay," said Tianna Carne, whose father relies on the bus system. "That's what they're trying to take away. The people that pay for their ride. So, someone like him, he would have no way to get back and forth to dialysis. That would literally kill him."
Tianna's father, Vincent Ware has been taking the same bus route for $50 A week for the last 6 years to get medical care under the Dial A Ride program.
But now the funding has been cut for that service and being disabled he doesn't know what he's going to do next.
"I'm not on Medicaid," said Ware. "I'm a paying customer. How do you discriminate against people just because they pay cash?" said Ware.
Because of significant loss in Medicaid funding back in October 2013, Chemung County officials say under the new funding the service changes and rate hikes are what will work.
"As we're looking towards the future, this is not a one time losing a million dollars, this is in the future every year, we'll be without that million dollars," said Tina Hager, Mobility Specialist for C-TRAN.
Due to the loss in funding, a number of changes will occur.
-The #10 Wellsburg, Waverly and Sayre, Pennsylvania route will be completely eliminated except for Medicaid recipients who will receive transportation from the New York State Department of Health.
- #12 Southside loop will be reduced to Evenings, Sundays and holidays.
- The new hospital loop will include the routes that were covered under the St Joseph's, Arnot and a portion of the Golden Glow route.
See more at: http://www.weny.com/news/All/ctran-service-changes-have-riders-furious-090214#sthash.7ATvmNcn.dpuf
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Some changes did happen, some did not.
The Hospital Loop merge did happen; routes 2 and 4 were merged into a combined route 4 line officially looping through city limits.
Because the 10 and 12 cuts were not realized at all or fully, other cuts had to be made
In order to compensate for route 10, the Route 7 FREE mall shuttle had a fare increase to 25 cents.
Route 5 Golden Glow was renamed Route 5 crosstown. The new service was extended past the transit center to the medical center, and service to the Golden Glow neighborhood was completely eliminated. Riders crossing the Chemung River would have to cross by foot. Bus service was increased to $1.75
The 10 bus line slated for elimination was not eliminated. However, the bus line was cut drastially in runs from 6 to 4. Instead of service approximately every 2 hours on weekdays, the line runs only one AM and PM trip, and 2 midday trips.
Route 10 was completely revamped, with fewer runs, but an elongated loop, which takes the bus route more than 3 hours to complete, from Elmira to Owego in Tioga, and back. This was in a response to Tioga County service being eliminated, and going the easy way out. Service was also cut for communities such as Wellsburg, where service now ends about 2 hours earlier, since the last bus of the day runs via I-86 instead of via all the communities Chemung. The Bus route serves Pennsylvania too. This new routing is a trial for both Chemung and Tioga Counties. Fares have increased to $3 between one zone, and $6 between two zones. Sayre, Pennsylvania is the fare zone boundary.
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C-Tran Makes Positive Change
WAVERLY (WENY) - Another change was announced for the C-Tran bus system. But this time it seems to be a positive one.
Chemung County and Tioga County have paired up to run buses from Elmira to Owego.
Recently after a significant loss due to a change in the administration of Medicaid funding, both Tioga County and Chemung County needed to make changes to their bus systems. C-Tran cut and changed routes and increased fares as of November 17th. And the Tioga Rides system was discontinued on November 30th.
One of the proposals was to eliminate C-Tran's Wellsburg-Waverly route. But many people were upset, especially those who used it to access Robert Packer Hospital for healthcare services.
But now the two counties are sharing services to accommodate their riders.
On December 1st, C-tran began piloting a route that runs from Elmira to Owego. There will be four runs each weekday such as:
Elmira to Owego:
-Departs Elmira at 6:45am, 11am, and 1pm
Elmira to Sayre:
-Departs Elmira at 4:30pm
Fares:
-Elmira to Sayre: $3
-Sayre to Owego: $3
-Elmira to Owego: $6
For a full schedule go to: http://ridectran.com/en/10-wellsburg-waverly
The counties will evaluate the success of the pilot service in mid-2015.
-See more at: http://www.weny.com/news/All/ctran-makes-positive-change-120314#sthash.ICQSjGLz.dpuf
WAVERLY (WENY) - Another change was announced for the C-Tran bus system. But this time it seems to be a positive one.
Chemung County and Tioga County have paired up to run buses from Elmira to Owego.
Recently after a significant loss due to a change in the administration of Medicaid funding, both Tioga County and Chemung County needed to make changes to their bus systems. C-Tran cut and changed routes and increased fares as of November 17th. And the Tioga Rides system was discontinued on November 30th.
One of the proposals was to eliminate C-Tran's Wellsburg-Waverly route. But many people were upset, especially those who used it to access Robert Packer Hospital for healthcare services.
But now the two counties are sharing services to accommodate their riders.
On December 1st, C-tran began piloting a route that runs from Elmira to Owego. There will be four runs each weekday such as:
Elmira to Owego:
-Departs Elmira at 6:45am, 11am, and 1pm
Elmira to Sayre:
-Departs Elmira at 4:30pm
Fares:
-Elmira to Sayre: $3
-Sayre to Owego: $3
-Elmira to Owego: $6
For a full schedule go to: http://ridectran.com/en/10-wellsburg-waverly
The counties will evaluate the success of the pilot service in mid-2015.
- See more at: http://www.weny.com/news/All/ctran-makes-positive-change-120314#sthash.ICQSjGLz.dpuf
WAVERLY (WENY) - Another change was announced for the C-Tran bus system. But this time it seems to be a positive one.
Chemung County and Tioga County have paired up to run buses from Elmira to Owego.
Recently after a significant loss due to a change in the administration of Medicaid funding, both Tioga County and Chemung County needed to make changes to their bus systems. C-Tran cut and changed routes and increased fares as of November 17th. And the Tioga Rides system was discontinued on November 30th.
One of the proposals was to eliminate C-Tran's Wellsburg-Waverly route. But many people were upset, especially those who used it to access Robert Packer Hospital for healthcare services.
But now the two counties are sharing services to accommodate their riders.
On December 1st, C-tran began piloting a route that runs from Elmira to Owego. There will be four runs each weekday such as:
Elmira to Owego:
-Departs Elmira at 6:45am, 11am, and 1pm
Elmira to Sayre:
-Departs Elmira at 4:30pm
Fares:
-Elmira to Sayre: $3
-Sayre to Owego: $3
-Elmira to Owego: $6
For a full schedule go to: http://ridectran.com/en/10-wellsburg-waverly
The counties will evaluate the success of the pilot service in mid-2015.
- See more at: http://www.weny.com/news/All/ctran-makes-positive-change-120314#sthash.ICQSjGLz.dpuf
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Not all is bad upstate, however, some communities are trying to improve bus services, but still haven't allocated the needed resources to do so. Clinton and Essex counties in the northern regions have tried to increase bus service, despite that service on several routes have been cut or eliminated, and inadequate service is being given, which is scrutinized by residents of those counties.
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Clinton County health initiative includes new bus routes
County officials say they plan to encourage healthy lifestyles in part by making sure people living in isolated areas have a ride to the supermarket. Photo:CCPT
One in 12 low-income residents in Clinton County, N.Y., has a hard time getting to the grocery store, according to the county Health Department. Officials said people who cannot buy healthy food are more likely to be obese or malnourished.
Under a recent initiative, county officials are mapping out new bus routes to bring people to the supermarket as part of a broader effort to address obesity and encourage healthy lifestyles in the county.
County numbers show 35 percent of adults, and 20 percent of children in Clinton County, are obese. Over the last few years, the Health Department and other agencies have tried to understand why those rates are so high, and they discovered an unlikely factor. “We actually know up in this community that transportation is a huge issue for some families,” said Mandy Snay, Director of Health Planning and Promotion for the department. She spoke in Plattsburgh on Thursday at a gathering of local government and food advocacy groups.
Snay said if people cannot get to the grocery store, they can’t get healthy food. Dr. Heidi Moore, a pediatrician in Plattsburgh, agreed. She told the crowd most of her patients and their families want to eat healthy — but circumstances make it really hard. “So the problem is, sitting down with a patient in my office and saying, ‘You really need to eat more fruits and vegetables,’ does nothing if they go home, they have no car, they have no heat, they have no access to food,” she said.
For more info: http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/27359/20150202/clinton-county-health-initiative-includes-new-bus-routes
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Herkimer County, just like Chenango County further south, don't have an actual public transportation system. However, Herkimer has made a study 5 years ago of potential service there to Oneida county locations. Only service there are the intercity bus service, such as Trailways of NY, which provides most service to and from locations.
Nothing has been done as far as Herkimer is concerned, but the county, and Oneida county have a plan for a 2035 transportation study, which would include a potential new bus system to Herkimer by that time period, should all go well.