CDTA Posts Record Ridership For Second Straight Year
The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) announced April 29 that it posted a second consecutive year of record ridership. For the fiscal year ending March 31, CDTA’s total boarding count increased by 3 percent to surpass 17 million (17,000,793) rides for the first time in its 45-year history. The announcement came at the monthly meeting of the CDTA Board of Directors.
“Our success can be traced back several years when we launched a concerted effort to increase ridership and improve our community image,” said CDTA Board Chairman David M. Stackrow. “Thanks to the great work of our nearly 650 employees, we are better positioned today to provide the Capital Region with quality service and choices.”
Ridership is up across the board on CDTA services, most notably on trunk and neighborhood routes. Overall CDTA has increased ridership by more than 3.2 million (23 percent) over the last 5 years. Roughly 25 percent of CDTA ridership now comes from Universal Access (UA) agreements negotiated with major employers and colleges for access to the entire route network. UA agreements generated more than 4 million boardings last year.
Other key drivers that have made riding easier and more convenient for customers are the technology enhancements like the roll out of Real Time Passenger information last fall and a redesigned website. CDTA’s Navigator smart card and mobile ticketing system is expected to go live later this year, offering balance protection, auto load and more convenient ways to pay. CDTA’s Bus Rapid Transit service, BusPlus, that runs from downtown Albany to downtown Schenectady along Route 5 contributed to ridership gains and set the stage for future expansion.
In other News:
The full slate of officers for fiscal year 2016 were announced Arpil 29 including the return of Board Chairman David M. Stackrow:
- Chairperson – David M. Stackrow
- Vice Chairperson – Georgeanna N. Lussier
- Secretary – Joseph M. Spairana, Jr.
- Treasurer – Arthur F. Young, Jr.
The other members of the CDTA Board are Denise A. Figueroa who represents Albany County, Norman L. Miller who represents Schenectady County, Thomas M. Owens who represents Albany County; Lisa A. Ballout who represents Saratoga County and Corey Bixby who represents Labor.
