A bus loop sounds almost quaint in these high-tech times, but advocates of bus travel say that it is the way of the future in Ulster County, benefiting business owners and the environment, not to mention students on the SUNY New Paltz campus.
And, as the bus system further evolves, say officials tourists will find the bus an appealing way to go.
There is now a new bus loop from the SUNY New Paltz campus through the town and village of New Paltz that students, faculty and staff can ride free by showing their college identification. The new loop joins a burgeoning array of campus bus services. Adirondack Trailways is now picking up riders on campus for trips to New York City. There is also the Poughkeepsie link, taking students from campus directly to the Poughkeepsie train station. There are also buses going to Newburgh and Kingston.   Â
The loop is the latest addition to these options. College President Steven Poskanzer, Student Association President Ben Olsen and the Ulster County Director of Transportation Cynthia Ruiz were among dozens gathered on campus on a blustery day Feb. 3 to take a ceremonial first bus ride on the New Paltz Loop.
“As people begin to learn more about what this service offers, both students and businesses will benefit,” said Eric Gullickson, a college spokesman, who rode the bus.
Gullickson noted that the manager of the ShopRite supermarket attended the ribbon cutting ceremony. The store is about a mile from campus and the sight of students lugging shopping bags along Main Street back to campus is not uncommon in the town. “Once students get used to the fact they will not have to lug their groceries all that way, we expect even more students will ride the bus to the supermarket and other stores around town,” Gullickson said.
He said lunchtime business in the town”™s many eateries could also benefit. Now, he said, some people are reluctant to leave campus for fear of losing their hard-won parking spot, but with a free bus ride to town available on a reliable schedule, “Groups of friends can socialize together on the bus, have a nice lunch and go back to work.”
The Hawk Dollars program is a program where merchants in town accept payment in the form of credits from a student”™s meal plan, widening student options on where to eat beyond the confines of campus. Gullickson said that as students realize their mobility, merchants who partake in the Hawk Dollars program can see increased numbers of students at their establishments. Â
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Olsen, whose efforts were credited as instrumental in finalizing the last details to make the loop a reality, sounded the same theme of local businesses potentially benefiting from the loop as much as students. Olsen said students will embrace the bus service to not only the supermarket but the bagel shop, the clothing store and especially the movie theater. “Definitely the supermarket and the theater are what the students are most excited about,” he said.
He also extolled the growing transportation options that the bus services are offering to students, saying it could eventually relieve parking pressures on campus. “In coming years, as students become accustomed to the bus services they will feel less of a need to bring cars to campus.”       Â
Ruiz, the county director of transportation, said that the key to making the loop bus service successful is “frequency and consistency.” Under the current schedule, the loop is a half-hour long, allowing time for any activity without engendering a long wait for the return trip. And if a person is walking on the route and sees the bus coming, they can flag it down and climb aboard.
Ruiz said the loop is part of a long term “vision” championed by new County Executive Michael Hein. “He sees public transportation as part of economic development,” Ruiz said. “That is part of the future of Ulster County.”
She said tourists should be able to enjoy the county without needing a car. “We have to grow our public transportation in a smart way to address things like car-less tourism. People should be able to come in on bus or train and see all the beautiful and historic sites Ulster County has to offer.”
The next step in making that vision a reality, she said, is for the Ulster County Area Transportation network, known as UCAT, to begin regular weekend service throughout the entire county, instead of the small slice now served on weekends. “That is something we are looking to do,” she said.
