First Transit plans fleet upgrade
NORWICH – First Transit, Inc. in Norwich will replace its entire fleet of 23 buses next year and plans to add a park & ride system to and from Sherburne and Greene along the state Rt. 12 corridor.
Each new bus will cost $67,000 and is estimated to last five years. Buses making up the current fleet are between five and six years old, according to President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Thornton.
“We are very excited about getting those (new buses) on the road,” he said.
The Cincinnati, Ohio-based transportation service serves 11 counties throughout New York. It has fixed route contracts with the following agencies in Chenango County: the Area Agency on Aging, the Department of Social Services and Mental Hygiene Services; Broome Developmental Services; and the public transit system itself.
Ridership was up 10 percent in the past 12 months, with about 165,000 passengers taking the bus.
First Transit’s estimated $2.3 million budget for 2009 is primarily funded via federal tax dollars. Any local share for management operations or equipment purchases is covered by the company itself.
Buses racked up a total of 1.3 million miles transporting travelers last year and the company spent $60,000 per month on fuel. Thornton said some bus routes were combined to offset the nation’s record-setting gas prices.
While details of First’s new park & ride service have yet to be finalized, a one-way ticket would most likely cost $1. Thornton said some area employers may offer their workers the transportation cost as a benefit. Chenango County Clerk of the Board RC Woodford estimated that county employees spent between $40 and $50 a week to get to work this summer when gasoline prices hovered near the $4 a gallon mark.
“We’ll do everything we can to work with Chenango County and local taxpayers to enable riders to afford a park and drive ticket,” Thornton said. “You can count on us being more reliable; the buses in better condition and ridership going up.”
For out-of-county travelers, he said the company would also consider coordinating routes and schedules with Madison and Broome county buses.
Bainbridge Supervisor Rick E. Chase asked Thornton whether buses could be used to transport school children to after-school activities in districts throughout the county. Thornton said, “We will work with anyone who wants to partner with us as long as it can save people money.”
Thornton said management may never know what caused a fire to erupt upon a First Transit bus earlier this fall, but it was most likely the result of a malfunction on an aging bus. Management follows a preventative maintenance schedule that includes New York State Department of Transportation inspections every six months, he said.
Each new bus will cost $67,000 and is estimated to last five years. Buses making up the current fleet are between five and six years old, according to President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Thornton.
“We are very excited about getting those (new buses) on the road,” he said.
The Cincinnati, Ohio-based transportation service serves 11 counties throughout New York. It has fixed route contracts with the following agencies in Chenango County: the Area Agency on Aging, the Department of Social Services and Mental Hygiene Services; Broome Developmental Services; and the public transit system itself.
Ridership was up 10 percent in the past 12 months, with about 165,000 passengers taking the bus.
First Transit’s estimated $2.3 million budget for 2009 is primarily funded via federal tax dollars. Any local share for management operations or equipment purchases is covered by the company itself.
Buses racked up a total of 1.3 million miles transporting travelers last year and the company spent $60,000 per month on fuel. Thornton said some bus routes were combined to offset the nation’s record-setting gas prices.
While details of First’s new park & ride service have yet to be finalized, a one-way ticket would most likely cost $1. Thornton said some area employers may offer their workers the transportation cost as a benefit. Chenango County Clerk of the Board RC Woodford estimated that county employees spent between $40 and $50 a week to get to work this summer when gasoline prices hovered near the $4 a gallon mark.
“We’ll do everything we can to work with Chenango County and local taxpayers to enable riders to afford a park and drive ticket,” Thornton said. “You can count on us being more reliable; the buses in better condition and ridership going up.”
For out-of-county travelers, he said the company would also consider coordinating routes and schedules with Madison and Broome county buses.
Bainbridge Supervisor Rick E. Chase asked Thornton whether buses could be used to transport school children to after-school activities in districts throughout the county. Thornton said, “We will work with anyone who wants to partner with us as long as it can save people money.”
Thornton said management may never know what caused a fire to erupt upon a First Transit bus earlier this fall, but it was most likely the result of a malfunction on an aging bus. Management follows a preventative maintenance schedule that includes New York State Department of Transportation inspections every six months, he said.
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