The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) was created in 1970 by the New York State Legislature, as a public benefit corporation, to provide regional transportation services by rail, bus, water and air. Today’s CDTA is the premier mobility provider in the Capital Region, providing regular route bus service, shuttle systems and paratransit services. CDTA subsidiaries own and operate the Rensselaer Rail and Saratoga Springs Train Stations. CDTA also operates the Northway (NX) Xpress Commuter Service between Saratoga County and downtown Albany.
Today, 640 people work at CDTA to deliver a transit system that serves more than 800,000 people who live and work in the region, transporting more than 55,000 customers each weekday.
CAPITAL DISTRICT TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY HISTORY & HIGHLIGHTS |
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08/01/1970 |
New York State Legislature creates the Capital District Transportation Authority |
08/16/1971 |
Assume responsibility for routes operated by Albany-Nassau Bus Company |
10/03/1971 |
Acquire the assets of Schenectady Transit System from Schenectady County |
08/14/1972 |
Acquire the assets of United Traction Company. |
09/05/1972 |
Assume local services of the Troy-Fifth Avenue Bus Company |
09/20/1973 |
Dedicate Schenectady Bus Facility |
01/18/1974 |
Consolidate Quail Street & Watervliet Avenue Operations |
04/12/1976 |
Begin regular route service in Saratoga |
04/01/1980 |
Base fare increases from 40 cents to 50 cents |
08/01/1980 |
CDTA celebrates 10th Anniversary |
02/28/1981 |
Dedicate Troy Bus Facility |
07/05/1982 |
STAR service begins in Albany |
10/02/1982 |
STAR service begins in Troy & Schenectady |
12/13/1982 |
30’ Orion buses debut in Saratoga |
03/04/1984 |
Full-size Orion buses put into service |
03/05/1984 |
Initiate half-fare program for people who are unemployed |
04/16/1984 |
Crown-Ikarus articulated buses put into service |
04/01/1985 |
Base fare increases from 50 cents to 60 cents |
01/27/1986 |
Jointly subsided service to Corporate Woods begins (Picotte Companies) |
12/22/1987 |
Downtown Albany staging area opens |
01/25/1988 |
Jointly subsided service to Wolf Road begins (Wolf Road Business Association) |
06/27/1988 |
Lift-equipped buses debut in service |
02/16/1989 |
Illustrated Transit Guide is unveiled |
07/05/1989 |
Defreestville Park & Ride lot opens |
06/04/1990 |
Base fare increases from 60 cents to 75 cents |
08/01/1990 |
CDTA celebrates 20th Anniversary |
11/04/1990 |
Refurbished Albany facility opens |
11/15/1990 |
Elm Avenue Park & Ride lot opens |
02/05/1992 |
Clean Air buses debut |
08/10/1992 |
Electronic fare-boxes installed on all buses |
01/01/1993 |
STAR fares reduced from $2.00 to $1.50 |
02/27/1993 |
Tobacco advertisements banned on CDTA buses |
09/07/1993 |
Latham Farms Transit Center opens |
09/28/1993 |
SAFEWATCH program begins |
04/06/1994 |
SWIPER pass introduced |
11/21/1994 |
Crossgates Mall Transit Center opens |
12/05/1994 |
Accessible buses debut in Saratoga |
04/03/1995 |
Base fare increases from 75 cents to $1.00 |
08/26/1995 |
College service arrangements begin with Rensselaer and UAlbany |
01/26/1996 |
Low floor buses introduced |
05/05/1996 |
Zone and half-fare policies modified and simplified |
05/10/1996 |
ShuttleBug service begins along Washington Avenue Extension |
11/13/1997 |
Web Site opens at www.cdta.org |
12/22/1997 |
Northway Exit 8 Park & Ride opens |
03/31/1998 |
Lark/ & Washington transit center opens |
05/15/1998 |
ShuttleBee service begins along Route 4 |
07/14/1998 |
ShuttleFly service begins along Wolf Road |
09/01/1998 |
Access Transit, Inc. opens |
06/02/1999 |
Ground is broken for new Rensselaer Rail Station |
10/15/1999 |
Catch a Better Bus service improvements implemented |
06/18/1999 |
NABI buses go into service |
07/21/1999 |
NOVA buses go into service |
08/01/2000 |
CDTA celebrates 30th Anniversary |
09/14/2000 |
Bike Racks installed on buses |
10/22/2001 |
Parking Garage opens at Rensselaer Rail Station |
09/22/2002 |
Rensselaer Rail Station Opens for Business |
06/16/2003 |
CDTA introduces the first queue jumper in upstate New York |
11/25/2003 |
U.S. Post Office opens in Rensselaer Rail Station |
03/15/2004 |
Saratoga Springs Train Station Opens |
05/23/2004 |
Regular route bus service to Glenmont begins (Route 7) |
08/07/2006 |
Installation of bike racks completed on all regular route buses |
09/07/2006 |
Project Empire launched in partnership with Amalgamated Transit Union |
01/01/2007 |
iRide Branding Campaign Introduced |
03/28/2007 |
New System Map and Transit Guide |
04/26/2007 |
New Gillig buses |
06/18/2007 |
First hybrid-electric bus introduced for service (made by Gillig) |
07/02/2007 |
Redesigned and expanded Saratoga service begins |
10/01/2007 |
10-trip debit card introduced |
11/01/2007 |
Sale of tokens is discontinued |
12/18/2007 |
Entire bus fleet is converted to biodiesel fuel blend to improve emissions |
02/01/2008 |
On- line Trip Planner introduced at www.cdta.org |
10/04/2008 |
Google Transit trip planner introduced at www.cdta.org |
04/01/2009 |
Base fare increases from $1.00 to $1.50 |
05/23/2010 |
New Schenectady neighborhood service begins operation |
04/03/2011 |
BRT service (BusPlus) begins operation on Route 5 |
11/13/2011 |
New Albany Route Network begins operation (Phase 1) |
10/01/2012 |
NX Service and Fares modified and reintroduced |
11/11/2012 |
New Albany Route Network begins operation (Phase 2) |
10/01/2013 |
Plans for 40 miles of Bus Rapid Transit Announced |
03/31/2014 |
Record Annual ridership count of 16.5 million |
10/29/2014 |
Realtime information rollout |
02/02/2015 |
Navigator Launch |
03/31/2015 |
Record Annual Ridership count of 17.0 million |
03/31/2016 |
Record Annual Ridership for the third year with a count of 17,106,322 million |
05/28/2016 |
Redesigned Saratoga County services begin operation |
08/12/2016 |
CDTA approved as regional clearinghouse for taxi services |
01/12/2017 |
Navigator smartcard prepayment system introduced |
07/27/2017 |
CDPHP Cycle! bike-share program |
08/15/2017 |
CDTA named 2017 Mid-Size Transit System of the Year |
09/27/2018 |
David Stackrow elected Chairman of APTA Board of Directors |
04/30/2019 |
Jayme B. Lahut named CDTA’s Chairman of the Board |
01/10/2020 |
Roll out of first battery electric powered buses in upstate NY |
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Last Updated: 01/13/2020