Capital District Transportation Authority

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Capital District Transportation Authority

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 1 Fixed route services 1.1 Albany Division 1.2 Schenectady Division 1.2.1 Saratoga Service 1.3 Troy Division 2 Other Services 2.1 Shuttles 2.2 Saratoga "Trolley" 2.3 STAR Service 2.4 NX: Northway Xpress 3 Fleet 3.1 Active Fleet 3.2 Future Fleet 4 Transit Development Plan 4.1 Bus Rapid Transit line on Route 5 5 References 6 See also 7 External links

[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.

ShuttleBee Route 4 from East Greenbush to Hudson Valley Community College--operated by CDTA Troy Division ShuttleBug Washington Ave. Extension/Route 155 to Route 5 and Route 20--operated by CDTA Albany Division ShuttleFly Wolf Road to Albany International Airport and Route 7--operated by CDTA Albany Division

[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

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

[edit] See also

• Albany, New York
• Lark Street

[edit] External links

• CDTA Website
• CDTA Roster (as of 2004)
• AlbanyGO site