The City of Kingston and Ulster County are moving forward with a plan to transfer the CitiBus system to Ulster County and be incorporated into the UCAT system. City bus routes will be similar and UCAT routes outside of the City will not change. There will still be three routes that service most of Kingston. The frequency will increase to every 30 minute for two of the routes and every 45 minute for one route. For the first 6 months, July – December 2019, bus fares will be FREE. After the transition time the cost to ride the bus will stay the same at $1 inside the City, $2 to Port Ewen and $.50 for seniors and persons with disabilities during non-peak hours.
When will the bus merger happen?
On or about July 1, 2019. The County will develop schedules, literature, and outreach brochures to communicate the changes.
Will the current City bus driver’s lose their jobs?
The County agreed to make an offer of employment to full-time bus drivers employed by the City.
How will I be able to find out about routes and schedules?
The City buses will be incorporated into the Ulster County UCAT system. Routes and schedules will be posted on the Ulster County website, posted at bus stops, brochures will be distributed to community organizations, and will be on the UCAT mobile app. If you have a smartphone and the UCAT app, you can see where the buses are, in real time. You will be able to call the Ulster County’s Transportation Information Center (845) 340-3333 during operating hours.
Will all the buses be transferred to UC?
No, a few vehicles will stay with the City. Much of the bus garage and equipment would continue to be owned by the City to maintain other City vehicles.
Will the bus routes stay the same?
No. The routes have been reconfigured to address transit demand and reduce travel time. There will still be three routes with a hub at the Kingston Plaza. The frequency will increase on two of the routes to every 30 minutes and the third route would be every 45 minutes (currently, the CitiBus works on an hourly schedule). For riders outside the immediate transit coverage area (based on their address), Demand-Responsive Transit (DRT) will be available. Users will have to request the service 24 hours or more in advance and be pre-approved based on their address. The DRT service will bring you to a transfer hub where you may have to connect with another bus to reach your final destination. Saturday service will consolidate two routes with a 45 minute frequency. Buses will continue to go into housing complexes to pick up passengers as they currently do.
What is the Demand-Response Transit service?
This service will be for riders outside the immediate transit coverage area. Users will have to request the service 24 hours or more in advance and be pre-approved based on their address. The DRT service will bring you to a transfer hub where you may have to connect with another bus to reach your final destination.
Will paratransit service stay the same?
Ulster County will provide paratransit service in the City of Kingston with the same requirements and level of service as they have been providing for the County.
Will the hours of operation change?
The hours will stay about the same.
Will the bus consolidation cost the tax payers more money?
No. The tax burden will be lessened because of reconfigured routes and fewer busses running on Saturdays. The City of Kingston will pay Ulster County $112,500.00 the first year and $225,000.00/year for 5 years after. The Citibus has been costing the City of Kingston about $225,000/year.
How can I give the feedback about the new routes?
The County will hold public meetings within the first six months of operation to assess the effectiveness of the new routes and will seek to address any comments received.
