October 03, 2011
“What’s Your Number” Albany Service Change Awareness Campaign Encourages Customers to “Learn, Ride & Connect”
Click here to access new schedules, maps and span of service information
(Albany, NY) – The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) announced that a series of significant improvements were made to Albany County service. CDTA changed more than a dozen Albany County bus routes to better connect customers with jobs, health services and major destinations. The plan is based on extensive input from riders, residents and stakeholders through community meetings, surveys and on-street interviews. The final plan reflects route and service adjustments made by CDTA as a direct result of public input from the proposed plan released in July 2011.
“We’ve designed a new route system, shaped largely by public input from beginning to end that focuses on lifestyles and travel needs that will better prepare us to meet future Capital Region transit demands,” said CDTA Chairwoman Denise Figueroa. “The route changes offer even more reliable service as we continue to improve mobility for our customers.”
CDTA will launch a comprehensive public education and awareness campaign entitled “What’s Your Number? Learn, Ride and Connect” to help riders understand the service changes and discover where new connections are made.
The initial plan, based on transit needs prioritized by the community, was presented to the public in the spring and was further adjusted to include top customer requests. The primary elements of the plan are summarized below.
· Improved Trunk Routes – CDTA trunk routes operate seven (7) days a week, from early morning until late night. Customers using Routes #6, #7, #12, & #18 will see increased frequency, later night and New Sunday service and consistent trip patterns with no deviations.
· New Neighborhood Network –Neighborhood routes will improve service to destinations outside of downtown Albany by:
o Establishing additional cross-town service
o Increasing level of service on streets with high ridership
o Providing new service to areas with high demand
· Improved Commuter Routes—Provide more direct, peak period connections throughout Albany County to customer-requested locations including Albany International Airport, Corporate Woods, Harriman State Campus, Ohav Shalom and Stonehenge Apartment Complexes along with Patroon Creek Boulevard.
This budget neutral plan will move resources from one area to the other, providing service where most people are likely to use it. Fares for service will remain the same. Several new route numbers and names will reflect the new destination and type of service through color-coding and number of digits as follows. The three main categories are trunk routes (two digit numbers with a blue indicator), neighborhood routes (three digit numbers with Albany County routes starting with a “1” and a green indicator) and commuter routes (three digit numbers starting with a “7” and an orange indicator.)
Riders are encouraged to visit www.cdta.org to obtain additional details on route changes and to view a color coded route map of the new service network. In the next few weeks, CDTA will educate riders on the changes through the presence of Travel Trainers on buses, attendance at community meetings in targeted areas, and distribution of information on the new plan throughout Albany County.
Anyone needing more information on the Albany County Service Improvement Plan or other CDTA services is encouraged to contact CDTA’s Customer Information Center at 482-8822 or visit www.cdta.org. Information operators are on duty 6am-7pm weekdays and 8am-6pm weekends and holidays.
