Capital District Transportation Authority

Capital District Transportation Authority

CDTA Gillig Low Floor BRT hybrid in iRide branding.
Slogan iRide
Founded 1970 (previously United Traction Company in 1890)
Headquarters 110 Watervliet Avenue
Albany, NY 12206
Locale Capital District
Service area Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, and Saratoga counties
Service type

local bus service
express bus service
commuter coach service
bus rapid transit

para-transit (STAR)
Routes 59[1]
Stops 3,135[2]
Fleet 306[2]
Annual ridership 15,407,000 (FY 2008–2009)[2]
Fuel type Diesel, Diesel-electric hybrid
Operator CDTA
(all except Northway Express)
Upstate Transit
(Northway Express only)
Chief executive Carm Basile
Website www.cdta.org

The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) is a public benefit corporation created by New York State, overseeing a number of multi-modal parts of public transportation in the Capital District of New York State (Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties). CDTA runs local and express buses, including a version of Bus Rapid Transit called BusPlus between Albany and Schenectady, and day-to-day management of two Amtrak stations in the Capital region; the Albany-Rensselaer and Saratoga Springs Amtrak stations.

Created as act of New York State government in August 1970, CDTA was formed, similar to three other agencies; in Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo. In 1970, CDTA purchased and took over management of the United Traction Company and Schenectady Transit.

CDTA bus operators, dispatchers, and supervisory staff are organized in Local 1321 of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).

Governance

CDTA is overseen by a nine-member board of directors.[3]

At the present time, the board representation includes:

There is also an executive director that handles day-to-day business, reporting to the board of directors.

Fixed route services

System map showing service frequency (data from November 2009–March 2010)

CDTA operates 56 routes, many of which connect neighborhoods to downtowns or downtowns to shopping areas; with six routes linking key towns together. Two routes, 11-UAlbany Shuttle and 286-RPI Shuttle, are shuttle services for area universities which are also open to the public. Service mostly runs from 5:30 a.m.-12:00 a.m. weeknights, 6:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. Saturdays, and 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. Sundays with the college routes running until 2:00 a.m. in Albany and Troy (with several RPI-only runs running until 4:00 a.m.).

Albany Division

A bus stop sign in Delmar (older style)

Before CDTA, many of these routes belonged to the Albany-Nassau Bus Company (Routes 32/33) and United Traction. Buses run from Capital Depot next to CDTA's headquarters on 110 Watervliet Avenue in Albany.

In early 2011, CDTA announced its plans to restructure the Albany County bus routes in two phases. Phase 1 involved reconstructing routes within the city of Albany, with a public input campaign held until August 2011. The results were five new neighborhood routes and three commuter routes. Its goal was to have a more uniformed bus system without any route deviation. Phase 1 of the reconstructing went into effect on November 13, 2011. In August 2012, CDTA revealed the draft plan for Phase 2 of the reconstructing. Phase 2 involved reconstructing routes within the western and northern portions of Albany County, with a public input campaign held until September 2012. Phase 2 of the reconstructing went into effect on November 11, 2012.

Route Terminals Major streets History Notes
1 Albany Bus Terminal Wolf Rd. & Colonie Center Central Ave., NY 5 Rt. 5 local service between Downtown Albany and Colonie Center
6 Broadway & Orange St. St. Peter's Hospital Whitehall Rd., Second Ave., South Pearl St.
7 Broadway & Orange St. Walmart - Glenmont Rt. 9W, River Rd., South Pearl St.
10 Broadway & Orange St. Crossgates Mall Western Ave., Rt. 20
11 UAlbany Draper Hall UAlbany Science Library Western Ave. Service only operates while UAlbany is in session
12 Broadway & Orange St. Walmart -Crossgates Commons Washington Ave.
13 Albany Bus Terminal Price Chopper - New Scotland New Scotland Ave., Delaware Ave., Lark St., NY 85
18 Albany Bus Terminal Shoprite - Slingerlands Delaware Ave., Lark St., Cherry Ave., NY 443
100 Quail St. & Central Ave. Quail St. & Central Ave. Quail St., Livingston Ave., Pearl St., Morton Ave., Holland Ave. Replaced parts of Routes #3, #8, and #9 in November 2011
114 Albany-Rensselaer train station Crossgates Mall Washington Ave., Broadway., Madison Ave. Replaced parts of Route #3 and #4 in November 2011 No Sunday Service
116 Broadway & Orange St. Mt. Hope Dr. Green St., Broadway, Van Rensselaer Blvd. Split from Route #6 and replaced part of Route #8 in November 2011 weekday service only
117 Twenty Mall British-American Blvd. Western Ave., Fuller Rd., Wolf Rd., Albany-Shaker Rd. Formed from parts of Routes #63, #90, #610 and #611 in November 2012
125 Albany Bus Terminal Central Ave. & Colonie Center Sand Creek Rd., Everett Rd., Clinton Ave. Replaced parts of Routes #2 and #3 in November 2011
138 Albany Bus Terminal St. Peter's Hospital North Pearl St., Livingston Ave., Allen St. Replaced parts of Routes #2, #8, and #30 in November 2011 No Sunday service
155 Crossgates Mall Albany International Airport Washington Ave. Ext., New Karner Rd., Watervliet Shaker Rd., NY 155 Replaced parts of Routes #610 #611, #612 in November 2012
233 Broadway & Hudson Ave. Schodack Park and Ride Rt. 9, Rt. 20 Formerly Route #33 until May 2009 weekday service only
520 Broadway & Hudson Ave. Malden St. & Chatham St., Nassau I-90 Formerly Route #33x until May 2009 weekday express service only
712 Albany Bus Terminal Walmart -Crossgates Commons Washington Ave., Colvin Ave., Central Ave. Replaced parts of Routes #12, #56x and #90x in November 2011 limited weekday service only - provides service to the Harriman State Office Campus
719 Madison Ave. & Empire State Plaza Crossgates Mall Rt. 20, NY 146, NY 156, NY 85, I-787 Replaced parts of Routes #19, #21 and #63 in November 2012 limited weekday service only
734 Broadway & Orange St. Ohav Shalom Buckingham Dr., Hackett Blvd., Holland Ave. Replaced parts of Routes #4 and #30 in November 2011 limited weekday service only
737 Albany Bus Terminal British-American Blvd. Albany Shaker Rd., Everett Rd., Henry Johnson Blvd. Replaced parts of Routes #27 and #31 in November 2011 limited weekday service only

Former bus routes that were part of the Albany Division include:

Schenectady Division

Before CDTA, many of these routes were run by Schenectady Transit, which became insolvent and was taken over by Schenectady County in the late 1960s. Buses operate from the Electric Depot, located at 2401 Maxon Road Ext. in Schenectady.

On May 24, 2010 CDTA implemented five new cross-town routes for Schenectady as a part of their new service plan, removing routes 51, 52, 53, 54, 59, 61, 62, 66, and 77 and combining them into routes 351, 352, 353, 354, and 358 (Route 358 has since been eliminated due to low ridership). This is a part of their new three-digit route identification system. Routes 530, 531 & 532 are express services to Downtown Albany replacing the former 55x bus route and do not carry any local passengers (Route 532 was combined with Route 531 on November 13, 2011).

Route Terminals Major streets History Notes
351 Golub Corp. Gerling St. & Sheridan Ave. Broadway, Van Vranken Ave. Replaced parts of Routes #51 and #61 in May 2010 No Sunday service
352 Price Chopper - Altamont Ave. Gerling St. & Sheridan Ave. McClellan St., Altamont Ave. Replaced parts of Routes #53, #59, #61 and #62 in May 2010 No Sunday service
353 Walmart - Glenville Price Chopper - Altamont Ave. Mohawk Ave. Replaced parts of Routes #52, #53 and #54 in May 2010
354 Rotterdam Square Mall Shoprite - Niskayuna Nott St., I-890 Replaced parts of Routes #59 and #62 in May 2010
355 Liberty Park Central Ave. & Colonie Center State St., Central Ave., NY 5 Rt. 5 local service between Downtown Schenectady and Colonie Center.
370 River St. & Front St., Troy Liberty Park NY 2, Union St., NY 7 formerly Route #70 until November 2012, Run jointly by Schenectady and Troy divisions.
530 Rotterdam Square Mall / Exit 26 Park & Ride Broadway & Hudson Ave, Albany I-787, I-90, I-890 weekday express service only
531 St. Luke’s / Woodlawn Park & Ride Broadway & Hudson Ave, Albany I-787, I-90, I-890 weekday express service only
763 Liberty Park Albany Bus Terminal Madison Ave., Lark St., Western Ave., Rt. 20, Curry Rd., Broadway formerly Route #63 until November 2012 limited weekday service only
905 Liberty Park Albany Bus Terminal State St., Central Ave., NY 5 Rt. 5 Bus Plus service between Downtown Schenectady and Downtown Albany, with only 19 stops per trip.

Former bus routes that were part of the Schenectady Division include:

Saratoga Service

The City of Saratoga Springs service also operates from Schenectady Division. These routes run seven days a week. Before July 2007, the Saratoga Springs buses were operated from the Uncle Sam Depot at 40 Hoosick Street in Troy, with limited service. There was no direct connection to the Albany/Schenectady/Troy routes. Route #50 was operated from the Electric Depot at 2401 Maxon Road Ext. in Schenectady, and only provided one AM and one PM weekday trip between Schenectady and Ballston Spa. On July 2, 2007, the Saratoga Springs Route Expansion went into effect, with the implementation of a new three-digit route identification system. Route #50 was extended to provide hourly service between Schenectady and Wilton Mall, seven days a week. All of the Saratoga Springs buses began operating from the Schenectady Garage on Maxon Rd. Ext. CDTA plans to construct a Saratoga Springs bus garage at Grand Industrial Park, off of Geyser Rd. In April 2015, CDTA announced its plans to restructure the Saratoga County bus routes with a public input campaign, followed by a draft plan that was released in October 2015 with a second input campaign. The final reconstruction plan was revealed in January 2016, which implements the creation three new routes 450, 451 and 452 to replace current routes 50, 472 and 473. The reconstruction plan will go into effect on May 28, 2016.[4]

Route Terminals Major streets History Notes
50 Liberty Park, Schenectady Wilton Mall NY 50, Rowland St., Geyser Rd., Broadway, High Rock Ave., Excelsior Ave. To be replaced by new routes #450, #451 and #452 in the 2016 route reconstruction.
472 Saratoga Springs train station Wilton Mall Lake Ave., Church St. To be replaced by new route #451 in the 2016 route reconstruction.
473 Saratoga Casino and Raceway Skidmore College Jefferson St., Broadway, Clinton St. To be replaced by new route #452 in the 2016 route reconstruction.
840 Stonequist Apartments Wilton Mall Union Ave. New Shopping shuttle created in July 2015. Runs on Tuesdays only [5]
875 Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Performing Arts Center Broadway, Nelson Ave., Jefferson St., Avenue of the Pines Seasonal trolley operates from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day
NX Empire State Plaza, Albany various park & ride locations throughout Saratoga County I-87, I-787 weekday express service only

Former Saratoga Springs bus routes that were operated by the Schenectady Division include:

Former Saratoga Springs bus routes that were operated by the Troy Division include:

Troy Division

Before CDTA, most of these routes were operated by the United Traction Co and the Troy-Fifth Avenue Bus Company. Buses run from the Uncle Sam Depot at 40 Hoosick Street in Troy, which also used to operate Saratoga Springs service prior to July 2007.

Route Terminals Major streets History Notes
22 Fulton St. & 4th St. Madison Ave. & Empire State Plaza, Albany Broadway, NY 32
80 River St. & Front St. Northern Dr. & 8th St. 5th Ave.
85 Broad St. & 6th St., Waterford Van Rensselaer Manor Rt. 4
87 River St. & Front St. Price Chopper & Walmart Hoosick St. and 15th St.
182 River St. & Front St. Albany Bus Terminal Henry Johnson Blvd., Van Rensselaer Blvd., Northern Blvd., Rt. 9, Columbia St., NY 32 Merged with Route #129 in May 2013 Runs seven days a week between Downtown Albany, Latham Farms, Cohoes, Green Island, Watervliet and Troy
190 Latham Farms Shopping Center Crossgates Mall Wade Rd., Wolf Rd., Fuller Rd.
214 Walmart - Rensselaer Plaza(Rt. 4) Madison Ave. & Empire State Plaza, Albany Third St., Washington Ave. Combined from Routes #14 and #15 in May 2009
224 Fulton St. & 4th St. Madison Ave & Empire State Plaza, Albany I-787, I-90, Rt. 4 Formerly Route #24 until September 2009 No Sunday service
280 River St. & Front St. Vanderhyden Hall Pawling Ave. Split from Route #80 in August 2010
286 Sunset Terrace & Forsyth Dr. Pawling Ave. & Myrtle Ave. Pawling Ave., 15th St., Congress St. Runs while RPI is in session
289 Madison Ave. & Project St. 15th St. & Massachusetts Ave. Pawling Ave., 4th St., 15th St. Combined from parts of Routes #84 and #89 in September 2009 no Sunday service
370 River St. & Front St., Troy Liberty Park NY 2, Union St., NY 7 formerly Route #70 until November 2012, Run jointly by Schenectady and Troy divisions.
522 N Mohawk St, Cohoes Madison Ave & Empire State Plaza, Albany I-787 Replaced parts of Routes #35x and #82 in November 2012 weekday express service only
746 Columbia St. & Baker St., Cohoes 3rd Ave. & 112th St., Troy Columbia St., Vliet Blvd., Manor Ave. limited weekday service only

Former routes that were part of the Troy Division include:

Other services

Shuttles

CDTA formerly ran three suburban shuttles, all operated by Albany Division, that used smaller cutaway vans, with the purpose of serving offices and major points of interest not on main CDTA routes, nor needing full sized buses. In November 2012, all Shuttle services were discontinued and replaced with fixed-route service during Phase 2 of the Albany County reconstructing. Two new bus routes (#117 and #155) were created. Route #117 operates between British-American Blvd, Albany International Airport, Wolf Rd, Colonie Center, Crossgates Mall and Twenty Mall. Route #155 operates between Albany International Airport, ITT Tech, NY 155, Washington Ave Ext., Walmart, and Crossgates Mall.

BusPlus

The 2005 plan included the development of bus rapid transit on the Route 5 corridor, between Downtown Albany and Downtown Schenectady, supplementing Route #55 (which handled 20% of CDTA's ridership[6]). This plan also led to modifications on Routes #1 and #2. Queue jumping and signal priority were planned to make BRT more attractive to the region, after light rail was rejected. As of mid-2007, this part of the 2005 plan was placed on hold.[7]

In early 2008, CDTA announced that it was going forward with the bus rapid transit line on NY 5, which included 19 upgraded stations.[8] NY 5 BRT service began on Monday, April 4, 2011, with new silver and red-branded Gillig 40-foot hybrid buses, numbered Route #905 and referred to as BusPlus. When NY 5 BusPlus service began, Route #55 was renumbered Route #355 and shortened to provide Rt. 5 local service, between Downtown Schenectady and Colonie Center. Route #1 continues to provide Rt. 5 local service between Downtown Albany and Colonie Center. Route #55x (the Schenectady/Albany Express buses) was replaced with Routes #530, #531 and #532 (Route #532 was merged with Route #531 on November 13, 2011). Route #2 was replaced with Route #125, during Phase 1 of the Albany County Route Restructuring in November 2011. BusPlus service runs the entire length of the Route 5 corridor, although it currently operates differently from the original plans. In the short term, transit signal priority and queue jump lanes are being constructed and will be rolled out as features of the bus rapid transit service. Articulated buses and ticket vending machines (TVMs) have not been purchased. Although it is called bus rapid transit, Route #905 resembles an enhanced limited-stop service, with only 19 stops between Downtown Schenectady and Downtown Albany. Improvements and expansions to BusPlus are still in planning, with proposed lines along the Washington Ave./Western Ave. corridor in Albany and along the NY 32/Broadway corridor between Downtown Albany, Menands and Troy/Cohoes.

Saratoga "Trolley"

In cooperation with the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, CDTA operates open-air trolleys from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day between Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Casino and Raceway, Saratoga Race Course and Broadway. In the past, the trolley ran between Skidmore College and Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Route #471 provided summer service to the Saratoga Race Course, but was discontinued at the end of Summer 2010, due to low ridership. In Summer 2011, the trolley was changed to provide service to the Race Course and other areas, previously served by Route #471. As a result, trolley service to Skidmore College was discontinued. Route #473 continues to provide year-round service to Skidmore College. While not marked as such on the vehicles, this service appears as Route #875 on the Saratoga Service map.

STAR Service

In 1982, CDTA began providing paratransit services to riders who are medically unable to take regular transit services. ADA wheelchair-accessible buses were added in 1988; since 2004, all CDTA routes have been wheelchair-accessible. The Star fleet has had a variety of minibuses. Though for most of its history it has been dominated by the Orion II low-floor minibus, STAR has begun replacing older models with Startrans "Senator" cutaway vehicles. Other minibuses in the fleet include Ford "ELF" minibuses and several transfers from suburban shuttle routes (see below).

NX: Northway Xpress

Northway Xpress bus

The NX: Northway Xpress is a group of express routes that links Albany to towns in Saratoga County which is operated under contract to Upstate Transit (which had been contracted to run the service since 2006). These routes run from Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa, Malta, Clifton Park, Round Lake, and South Glens Falls to Downtown Albany. In October 2012, Northway Express fares and schedules were redesigned to increase ridership and service efficiency. Fare structure was consolidated from 5 zones to 3 zones, with the addition of an unlimited ride prepayment card. Service was also eliminated from areas with low ridership, including Mechanicville, Stillwater, Albany International Airport, SUNY Albany, Wolf Road and the Harriman State Office Campus. In May 2014, Northway Express service was expanded to Corporate Woods.

Zone Northway Exits Municipalities Cash 10-trip Monthly Swiper
1 Exits 8 & 9 Clifton Park, Halfmoon $4.00 $35.00 $110.00
2 Exits 11 & 12 Ballston Spa, Malta, Milton, Round Lake $5.00 $39.00 $125.00
3 Exits 15 & 17 Saratoga Springs, South Glens Falls, Wilton $7.00 $50.00 $170.00

Rural service

Until 2012, CDTA operated rural/lifeline services to several areas in rural Albany and Rensselaer counties, once per week, including routes #810 (Berne/Knox), #812 (Rensselaerville), #870 (Saratoga County Shuttle), and #96 (Rensselaer Rural, with summer Grafton State Park service); as part of CDTA's route restructuring, these routes are being phased out.

Fleet

Active fleet

All buses are wheelchair accessible.

Year Builder Model Length
(feet)		 Width
(inches)		 Seating Numbers Operators
1999 Motor Coach Industries 102DW3SS 40 102 Coach 312-315 Upstate Transit
1999 Nova Bus LFS TL40-102 40 102 Transit 9901-9949 (some retired) CDTA Albany
1999 Nova Bus LFS TL40-102 40 102 Coach 9950-9959 CDTA Albany
2000 Nova Bus LFS TL40-102 40 102 Coach 3001-3011 CDTA Albany
2000 Nova Bus LFS TL40-102 40 102 Transit 3021-3030 CDTA Albany
2002 Motor Coach Industries D4000 40 102 Coach 316-319 Upstate Transit
2004 Coach & Equipment Condor 25 96 Transit 401-402 CDTA Albany
2005 Supreme Senator 25 96 Paratransit 200-219 CDTA Albany, Schenectady, Troy
2006 ElDorado National AeroElite 25 96 Transit 403-408 CDTA Albany, Schenectady
2006 Motor Coach Industries D4500CL 45 102 Coach 320-324 Upstate Transit
2007 Gillig Low Floor T-40 40 102 Transit 4000-4007 CDTA Troy
2007 Gillig Low Floor T-40 BRT Hybrid 41 102 Transit 4008H-4013H CDTA Schenectady
2007 Gillig Low Floor T-29 30 102 Transit 3100-3107 CDTA Schenectady
2007 Supreme Senator 25 96 Paratransit 220-229 CDTA Albany, Schenectady, Troy
2008 ElDorado National AeroElite 25 96 Transit 409-415 CDTA Albany
2008 Gillig Low Floor T-40 BRT Hybrid 40 102 Transit 4014H-4019H CDTA Schenectady
2008 Gillig Low Floor T-40 Hybrid 40 102 Coach 325H-326H CDTA Albany
2008 Gillig Low Floor T-40 Hybrid 40 102 Transit 4020H-4028H CDTA Schenectady
2009 Gillig Low Floor T-40 Hybrid 40 102 Transit 4029H-4047H CDTA Troy
2010 Gillig Low Floor T-40 Hybrid 40 102 Transit 4048H-4055H CDTA Troy
2010 Gillig Low Floor T-40 40 102 Transit 4056-4072 CDTA Troy
2010 Gillig Low Floor T-40 BRT Hybrid 40 102 Transit 5500H-5514H CDTA Schenectady
2012 Gillig Low Floor T-40 40 102 Transit 4073-4092 CDTA Albany
2013 Gillig Low Floor T-40 40 102 Transit 4093-4108 CDTA Albany
2013 Gillig Low Floor T-40 Hybrid 40 102 Transit 4109H-4112H CDTA Albany
2014 Gillig Low Floor T-40 40 102 Transit 4113-4127 CDTA Albany
2015 New Flyer Xcelsior Articulated 60 Foot 60 102 Transit 6000-6001 CDTA Albany

Future fleet

The Gillig buses are part of a five-year contract between CDTA and Gillig awarded in April 2006, that replaced most of the 1998 Orion VI fleet.[9] In December 2014, CDTA also awarded a contract with New Flyer for 20 articulated buses to be delivered over a five-year period.

Fares

The CDTA increased fares on April 1, 2009, to close a $9 million budget gap. As of August 2012, CDTA bus fares are:

Senior citizens over age 65 and disabled persons qualify for reduced fares if they present valid Medicare ID or other government-issued ID.

Transit development plan

In 2005, CDTA commissioned a transit development plan that would create a planned environment to react to needed changes in the CDTA organization.[7]

Parts of this plan have included:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "CDTA Annual Report 2009-2010" (PDF). Capital District Transportation Authority. August 31, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "Operational Summary". Capital District Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Board of Directors - CDTA". Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA). Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  4. ↑ "CDTA finalizes Saratoga County bus route changes". Times Union. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  5. ↑ "Saratoga Shopping Shuttle Out of the Gate". Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA). Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Annual Route Performance Report". CDTA. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  7. 1 2 transit development plan Archived February 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ Woodruff, Cathy (January 15, 2008). "CDTA rapid service advances: Bus transit line between Albany, Schenectady will have upgraded 'stations'". Albany Times-Union. Retrieved January 17, 2008.
  9. ↑ Durr, Eric (April 27, 2006). "CDTA board approves $8.3M bus deal". Capital District Business Review. Retrieved 2006-04-27.
  10. ↑ Woodruff, Cathy (2006-03-30). "CDTA budget aims to revitalize fleet". Albany Times-Union. Retrieved March 30, 2006.

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