Capital District Transportation Authority

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Capital District Transportation Authority
logo
Image
CDTA Gillig Low Floor BRT hybrid #4013H in Schenectady, NY, on the 55 line in iRide branding.
Slogan It's my ride
Founded 1970
Headquarters 110 Watervliet Avenue
Albany, NY 12206
Locale Capital District
Service area Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schectady counties
Service type Local bus service
Routes 60
Fleet 295
Operator CDTA
(all except Northway Express)
Upstate Transit
(Northway Express only)
Chief executive Raymond Melleady
Web site www.cdta.org

The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) is a public benefit organization which provides transportation services to the Capital District of New York State (Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties). CDTA was formed in August in 1970 by a state act of government which also formed three similar agencies in Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo; CDTA took over the area's four private operators between 1971 and 1972. The function of CDTA is to operate public transportation as well as to operate two Amtrak stations in the service area (Albany-Rennselaer and Saratoga Springs). CDTA bus operators, dispatchers, and supervisory staff are organized in Local 1394 of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).

Contents

[edit] Fixed route services

CDTA operates 60 different routes, many of which connect neighborhoods to downtowns or downtowns to shopping areas with six routes linking key towns together. Two routes, 11-SUNY Shuttle and 86-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.).

[edit] Albany Division

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

  • 1 Central Avenue
  • 2 West Albany
  • 3 Quail Street Belt
  • 4 Pine Hills
  • 5 Northern Boulevard
  • 6 Second Avenue
  • 7 Glenmont
  • 8 Arbor Hill
  • 9 Whitehall Road
  • 10 Western Avenue
  • 11 UAlbany Shuttle
  • 12 Washington Avenue
  • 13 New Scotland Avenue
  • 14 Rensselaer Third Street/Amtrak
  • 15 Rensselaer First Street
  • 16 Downtown Albany Circulator
  • 18 Delaware Avenue
  • 19 Vorheesville
  • 21X Altamont
  • 22 Albany-Troy via Watervliet
  • 24 Albany-Troy via Rensselaer
  • 27 Corporate Woods
  • 29 Albany-Cohoes
  • 30 Hackett Blvd Belt
  • 31 Shaker Road
  • 32 Hampton
  • 33(X) Nassau
  • 35X Albany-Troy via I-787
  • 95 Rural Service (Berne/Knox, Westerlo, Rensselaerville)

Albany Division also operates half of Routes 55 (with Schenectady Division) and 90 (with Troy Division) plus the ShuttleBug and Shuttle Fly.

[edit] Schenectady Division

Before CDTA, many of these routes were run by Schenectady Transit (which itself was taken over in the late 1960s by Schenectady Countyafter that company became insolvent). Buses run out of the Electric Depoton 2401 Maxon Road Extension in Schenectady. Only the 50, 55, and Saratoga routes run on Sundays.

  • 50 Route Fifty
  • 51 Broadway
  • 52 Crane Street
  • 53 Altamont Ave.
  • 54 Scotia/WalMart
  • 55(X) Albany-Schenectady via Route 5
  • 56X Schenectady-State Office Campus
  • 59 Nott Street
  • 61 Van Vranken
  • 62 State Street-McClellan Sreet
  • 63 Albany-Schenectady via Route 20
  • 66 South Loop
  • 70 Troy-Schenectady
  • 77 North Loop
  • 78 South Loop
  • 95 Rural Service (Duanesberg/Delanson)

[edit] Saratoga Service

Also run out of Schenectady Division are the Saratoga Springs services. These routes run seven days a week.

  • 50 - Route Fifty
  • 471 - Union Avenue
  • 472 - Lake Avenue
  • 473 - Jefferson Street
  • 875 - Saratoga Trolley (no Monday service; summers only)

[edit] Troy Division

Before CDTA, most of these routes were operated by the Troy-Fifth Avenue Bus Company. Routes 71 and 72 in Saratoga Springs (originally Routes 98 and 99) Mary routes CDTA created in 1974. Buses run out of the Uncle Sam Depotat 40 Hoosick Street in Troy.

  • 80 Albia-Fifth Avenue
  • 82 Troy-Cohoes-Green Island
  • 84 Watervliet Belt
  • 85 Waterford-Troy
  • 86 RPI Shuttle
  • 87 Sycaway/Beman Park
  • 89 Griswold Heights
  • 90 Troy/Latham/Crossgates Mall
  • 96 Rensselaer County Rural (Hoosick Falls-Troy)

Troy Division also operates parts of Routes 22, 24, and 29 with Albany Division and Route 70 with Schenectady Division as well as the ShuttleBee (see below).

On the drawing board is the purchase of five more buses, some or all of which are hybrid[1], and the possible expansion of routes to areas currently not served by CDTA.

[edit] Other Services

[edit] Shuttles

CDTA also operates three suburban shuttles, all using smaller "cutaway" vehicles and providing services to offices and major points of interest not on main CDTA routes.

[edit] Saratoga "Trolley"

In cooperation with the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, CDTA operates an open-air trolley service from June to September along Broadway, from Skidmore College to Saratoga Performing Arts Center. While not marked as such on the vehicles, this service appears as Route 875 on the Saratoga Service map.

[edit] STAR Service

In 1981, CDTA began providing paratransit services to riders who are medically unable to take regular transit services. This service was supplemented with the addition of wheelchair-accessible buses in 1988; since 2004, all CDTA routes have been handicapped accessible. Star's fleet has had a variety of minibuses, for most of its history has been dominated by the Orion II low-floor minibus though with that model out-of-production STAR has replaced older models with Startrans "Senator" cutaway vehicles. Others in the fleet include Ford "ELF" minibuses and several transfers from suburban shuttle routes (see below).

[edit] NX: Northway Xpress

Northway Xpresss bus
Northway Xpresss 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 owned the service until 2006). These routes run from Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa, and Clifton Park Mechanicville, and South Glens Falls to downtown Albany with a single roundtrip each day serving both the Wolf Road corridor and the Harriman State Office Campus and nearby buildings.

[edit] Fleet

[edit] Active Fleet

All buses are wheelchair accessible.

Year Builder Model Length (ft) Width (in) Seating Numbers Operators
1991 MCI 102AW3 40 102 suburban 311 Upstate Transit
1996 MCI 102DW3SS 40 102 suburban 313-315 Upstate Transit
1996-1997 Orion 06.501 40 102 Transit 2000-2020 CDTA Albany
1998 Orion 06.501 40 102 Transit 2021-2102 CDTA Schenectady, Troy
1999 Nova Bus LFS TL40-102 40 102 Transit 9901-9949 CDTA Albany
1999 Nova Bus LFS TL40-102 40 102 Suburban 9950-9959 CDTA Albany
1999 NABI 35LFW 35 102 Transit 9960-9984 CDTA Albany
2000-2003 Coach & Equipment Condor & Phoenix 25 96 transit various numbers in 100 series CDTA Albany, Troy
2000 Nova Bus LFS TL40-102 40 102 suburban 3001-3011 CDTA Albany
2000 Nova Bus LFS TL40-102 40 102 transit 3021-3030 CDTA Albany
2001 Molly Trolley N/A 30 96 transit various, high 800s CDTA Troy
2002 MCI D4000 40 102 suburban 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 AeroElite 25 96 transit 403-408 CDTA Albany, Schenectady
2006 MCI D4500CL 45 102 suburban 320-324 Upstate Transit
2007 Gillig Low Floor T-40 40 102 transit 4000-4007 CDTA Albany
2007 Gillig Low Floor T-40 BRT hybrid 41 102 transit 4008H-4013H CDTA Albany, Schenectady
2007 Gillig Low Floor T-30 30 102 transit 3100-3107 CDTA Schenectady
2007 Supreme Senator 25 96 paratransit 220-229 CDTA Albany, Schenectady, Troy
2008 ElDorado AeroElite 25 96 transit 409-415 CDTA Albany
2008 Gillig Low Floor T-40 hybrid 40 102 transit 4014H-4035H CDTA Albany

[edit] Future Fleet

  • 2008 Gillig Hybrid (22 buses, sizes and styles unknown, 40' models to start with 4014H)
  • 2008 MCI D4500CL (replacement for 102AW3 311, probably to be numbered 325)

The Gillig buses are the second in a five-year deal between CDTA and Gillig.[2] and will replace most of the 1996 Orion VI fleet.

[edit] Transit Development Plan

In 2005, CDTA commissioned a transit development plan[3] in order to better fit the agency's services, much of which unchanged from its predecessors. Parts of this plan include the following:

  • Replacing 1/12th of the CDTA fleet on a yearly basis rather than buying large orders at once, a move implemented starting in 2007 which will reduce the costs of maintaining an aging fleet.[4]
  • The replacement of all Orion VI buses by 2012 and of the NABI and NovaBus LFS buses by 2016 as well as the midlife overhaul of the NovaBus and NABI fleets (which have included the installation of LED destination signs).
  • The expansion of service in Saratoga Springs, which took place in July 2007, plus further expansion into Saratoga County including the building of a garage in Saratoga Springs.
  • Redrawing bus routes system wide to better serve ridership, starting with Schenectady-based routes in the second half of 2007.
  • The implementation of a new three-digit route system, in which the first digit will serve as an indication of its base; this system is already in place in Saratoga Springs.

[edit] Bus Rapid Transit line on Route 5

The 2005 plan included the development of Bus Rapid Transit on the busy Route 5 corridor, in turn supplementing the current 55 bus (which is responsible for 20% of CDTA's ridership). Such a plan would also lead to a refocusing of the current routes 1 and 2 and potentially the current ShuttleFly (which would be extended to serve SUNY Albany and Crossgates Mall). Such a system could lead to the purchase of articulated buses for this line as well as for possibly CDTA's other busy routes. As of mid-2007, this part of the 2005 plan was placed on hold.[5]

In early 2008, the CDTA announced that it was going forward with the Bus Rapid Transit line on Route 5, which will include twenty upgraded stations.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Crowe, Kenneth C. II (2006). CDTA bus service to grow in Saratoga style. Albany Times-Union. Retrieved on 2006-03-14.
  2. ^ Durr, Eric (2006). CDTA board approves $8.3M bus deal. Capital District Business Review. Retrieved on 2006-04-27.
  3. ^ transit development plan
  4. ^ Woodruff, Cathy (2006). CDTA budget aims to revitalize fleet. Albany Times-Union. Retrieved on 2006-03-30.
  5. ^ transit development plan
  6. ^ Cathy Woodruff, "CDTA rapid service advances: Bus transit line between Albany, Schenectady will have upgraded 'stations'", Albany Times-Union, Jnauary 15, 2008, found at Albany Times-Union story on Bus Rapid Transit line. Accessed January 17, 2008.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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