CORTLAND, N.Y. — When Centro started offering bus service in Cortland County on March 31, it represented the first time that it had expanded its bus-service network in 20 years. Cortland County planners met with Centro about a year ago to discuss ways that Centro could connect its services between Onondaga and Cortland counties, Steve […]
CORTLAND, N.Y. — When Centro started offering bus service in Cortland County on March 31, it represented the first time that it had expanded its bus-service network in 20 years.
Cortland County planners met with Centro about a year ago to discuss ways that Centro could connect its services between Onondaga and Cortland counties, Steve Koegel, VP of communications & business planning, tells CNYBJ in an email. Centro told Cortland County that it could join the Central New York Regional Transportation Authority, and the discussions progressed from there, he adds.
“We are thrilled to begin bus services in Cortland County,” Christopher Tuff, deputy CEO of Centro, said in an announcement about the new bus service. “Residents can look forward to safe, reliable, and equitable transportation that will use the latest technologies to make using the bus an easy, convenient, and desirable option. Our mission is to be a driving force moving communities forward, and that’s what we intend to do in Cortland.”
Bus fares for the Cortland County riders will also be less expensive. Centro has reduced the bus fares to a standard $1 per ride for all city bus lines and $3 per ride on its commuter service to Cornell University.
“Efficient and affordable public transportation supports equity and economic access in the community and is instrumental in creating and stabilizing a strong middle class,” New York Assemblymember Anna Kelles (D–Ithaca) contended in the Centro announcement. “I’m honored to be championing a proposal in the state budget negotiations that adds Cortland to the Central New York Regional Transportation Authority and channels Standard Transit Operating Aid to Cortland, bringing lower bus fares and a wider service area, and will continue working to get these proposals over the finish line.”
Centro will also introduce Call-A-Bus, a service for qualifying individuals with a disability that provides service to the same areas as its bus lines. Centro’s current Call-A-Bus network provides more than 200,000 rides per year in its other four-county service areas.
Centro says it will operate seven fixed routes along with its Call-A-Bus paratransit service. Buses will operate Monday through Friday from 6 a.m.-6 p.m.
“Cortland County, for years, has been looking for ways to enhance our public transportation system and promote public transit throughout the County,” Kevin Fitch, chair of the Cortland County Legislature, said. “The transition to CENTRO is a pivotal step in reshaping the transportation in our county. By joining the Regional Authority, CENTRO, now operating in five counties, has the expertise needed to take Cortland County’s public transportation system to new heights.”
Centro has provided public transportation in Central New York for more than 50 years, beginning service in Syracuse in 1972 before expanding to both Cayuga and Oswego counties. Centro also added service in Oneida County serving Utica and Rome in 2005, almost 20 years to the day before beginning service in Cortland. Centro currently employs about 600 people and provides more than 7 million bus rides each year to hundreds of thousands of Central New York residents.
