NY: Common Council approves bus service continuations

The Oneonta Common Council passed several resolutions regarding maintaining the level of city bus service to the city, town and beyond on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

The council unanimously approved to proceed with purchasing two new city buses. According to the resolution, the city has submitted a request for a $1.23 million grant to the state Department of Transportation to purchase of two buses with a local share of $123,000.

Len Carson, R- Fifth Ward, said that since ridership is "on a downward trajectory" and asked why the city wanted to buy two comparable-sized buses.

Oneonta Public Transit Director David Hotaling said that buses to be purchased are actually smaller.

The buses to be replaced are cutaway buses, which have a passenger bus body mounted on a truck chassis. Hotaling said that these buses are very high and not friendly to riders with mobility issues, in addition to having reached the end of their useful life.

"We want to go smaller," he said, doing so by swapping out larger equipment. In another two to three years, the big buses will be eligible for replacement.

"They're adequate to handle ... but I think with the fleet that we will have, we'll be able to handle it much better," he said.

City Administrator Greg Mattice said that the new buses would be able to accommodate people standing while riding.

Bus service contracts

OPT is supported through fares and contracts for bus services, but mostly through the state Department of Transportation's Statewide Mass Transportation Operating Aid. STOA is based on passenger and mileage statistics. When ridership goes down, STOA support goes down.

The council unanimously approved renewing a three-year contract with the town of Oneonta for continued OPT services through Dec. 31, 2027, at $17,500 for 2025, $18,000 for 2026 and $18,500 for 2027.

Carson focused his questions on whether OPT is covering its fixed costs or even turning a profit.

Mattice said to Carson that it would be difficult to say. There are portions of different routes that run in the town, and it's not easy to break out town versus city costs, he said. Nor does the city have detailed ridership numbers down to how many people are getting off and on at each stop. The city has contracts with private property owners, including Hannaford and Walmart, to allow OPT to make stops on those properties.

"We're achieving our goal, which is to have our partner, the town, contribute something toward our shared goal of providing a service in the town," Mattice said.

Last month, city officials had to convince the Oneonta Town Board to keep OPT services. Mattice said that while Town Supervisor Randy Mowers was supportive, some Town Board members questioned why they pay the city anything for bus service. The city answered questions about OPT operational costs and how the town's annual contract amount is derived.

"We almost lost the town this time," said City Finance Director Virginia Lee, "because there were a number of the town board members that were questioning why they should continue it. We gave them a lot of data, and they realized how important it is for the people that need the bus routes the most to keep those connections, to allow us to go on to the town streets."

Hotaling said that if the city had lost the contract with the town, OPT buses could still drive on town roads — that operating authority comes from NYSDOT — but the buses wouldn't drop anybody up or drop anybody off.

"We'd be driving through there to get to our next location," he said, "then all that mileage would be considered deadhead miles. We would not get STOA funding for it."

The council also unanimously approved extending the contract with Otsego County for transit services as part of the Otsego County Express, with the city providing operators for county-owned buses that are used on the Oneonta-to- Cooperstown route for 2025, according to the resolution.

Via the consent agenda, the council approved extending the agreement with Otsego County for the city to provide transit services for the operation of Otsego Express Route 6, between Oneonta and Sidney, for 2025.

In other business, the council approved several resolutions via consent agenda.

Among them was a resolution appointing former Seventh Ward representative Bryce Wooden to the Commission on Community Relations and Human Rights as well as Cherilyn Lacy to the Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission.

The council also approved a one-year, $5,000 contract with the Susquehanna SPCA for animal control support services for 2025 and a budget transfer of $55,000 for repairs to two fire engines.

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