Earlier in the year, the City of Poughkeepsie was in a difficult situation, as the City transit system was in danger of shutting down. The mayor veto a proposed resolution which would expand the operation of the city's bus system until the end of the year. The Poughkeepsie Common Council needed to override the veto by May 19 in order to continue running services. Although optimistic, the final call to override the mayor's did not occur, and the City will discontinue operations after June 30 (which is when the financial resources to operate the services runs out).
HOWEVER...
Dutchess County Public Transit will implement six new bus routes to accommodate City of Poughkeepsie residents, according to a press release from the County Executive's office.
The routes would bring riders to various grocery stores, shopping centers and hospitals around the city starting in July as part of a controversial decision to consolidate city and county bus services.
The city and county signed a Memorandum of Agreement in regard to the consolidation, according to the release. The decision comes as the city faces a deficit of roughly $12.5 million
"The ability for Dutchess County to provide a more viable transit system for the City of Poughkeepsie now and in the future is critically important to the fiscal stability and growth of our city," said Mayor Rob Rolison. "Better service, longer service hours, and improved routes for riders — not to mention the opportunity for long term sustainability at a lower cost to our taxpayers — is a benefit to everyone."
Rolison's proposal to consolidate bus services had met resistance from members of the Common Council and some residents. Last month, the mayor vetoed a council resolution to fund the city bus system beyond June 30. On Monday, the council's vote to override Rolison's veto failed.
"We understand that change is difficult and until the new service is underway and people have a chance to experience it, there will be those who have doubts," said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro. "We are grateful to all of those who came to our information meetings; it was a successful conversation. We are committed to continuing those conversations to ensure that we are delivering the service that people need in the most effective way possible."
The routes were detailed over five public outreach meetings held last week, and the county plans to hold quarterly public outreach meetings to receive feedback on the routes.
Although Dutchess County Loop will provide service, many still are unhappy with the City's decision to terminate the bus system, for beliefs that the service will get progressively worse.
Regardless of anyone's position on the City Bus debate, LOOP will run 5 new routes in the Poughkeepsie area starting July 1
http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/MassTransit/PLLoopbus.htm
The routes are as follows: