July 17, 2013
Convenient Transportation from Schenectady Campus to Future Albany Location
Schenectady - Schenectady County Community College (SCCC) announced the renewal of its partnership with a new three-year agreement with CDTA (Capital District Transportation Authority) to provide student transportation to its more than 7,000 students at no cost to the rider. CDTA provides universal access for students on all CDTA bus routes including SCCC’s main campus, Center City location and the future extension site located in Albany.
“The collaboration between SCCC and CDTA has helped our students exponentially,” said Dr. Quintin Bullock, President of Schenectady County Community College. “As enrollment and our college’s outreach into the community continues to grow, so does the need for reliable, public transportation.”
CDTA provides 25,000 to 30,000 rides monthly to SCCC students, who swipe their college ID cards for rides on any CDTA bus, shuttle routes, and express routes. The ID cards also give students access to STAR paratransit service and Northway Xpress (NX) Commuter services.
“Our partnership with CDTA provides students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend college, a fair shot at getting an education through access and affordable transportation,” said Denise Murphy McGraw, Chairwoman of the SCCC Board of Trustees. “By providing easy transportation options, we can further our commitment to increased completion at SCCC in support of President Obama’s vision.”
SCCC ridership has more than tripled since the pilot program began two years ago with CDTA providing close to 250,000 SCCC rides last year. Universal access programs now comprise 20 percent of CDTA’s entire ridership. For the first two months of the year, Universal Access boarding’s are up 30 percent (about 140,000 boardings).
Students’ ID cards contain a digital chip that allows the ride to be authorized in CDTA fareboxes and activity fees cover the cost. For students to be eligible for the program, they must be enrolled and maintain enrollment at SCCC, and have paid their Student Activity Fee.
“I don’t currently own a car and the easy access to transportation has been essential for me. I use the CDTA bus to get to class everyday as well as my clinical internship at the Teresian House, which will help prepare me for when I find a job,” said Joy Garcia, a certified nurses aide student enrolled in SCCC’s Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) CNA program. The HPOG program is funded by the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Our partnership with SCCC supports our mission to increase mobility options for students across the Capital Region,” said CDTA Chairman David Stackrow. “The improved access gained through our universal access program that offers unlimited rides to anywhere in the Capital Region, encourages students to take trips for other daily activities like going to the supermarket, shopping mall, entertainment sites as well as medical appointments, all of which contributes to further economic development and growing sustainable initiatives.”
The CDTA ridership program also provides an environmentally friendly solution to reduce the number of vehicles on the road and in SCCC’s campus parking lots. The American Automobile Association’s 2012 "Your Driving Costs” study results show that the cost of owning and operating a vehicle in the United States has increased by 1.9 percent.
CDTA currently has universal access transportation partnerships with the University at Albany, The College of Saint Rose, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Russell Sage College, Siena College and Skidmore College. CDTA’s universal access partnerships now accounts for more than 20 percent of CDTA’s ridership. The success of this program at local universities led to the recent addition of ShopRite Supermarkets as the first Capital Region business to join the program.
