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2003 Annual Report on Public Transportation Assistance Programs in New York State December 2004 Passenger Transportation Division New York State Department of Transportation Albany, New York 12232-0414 This report was developed, in part, by utilizing Federal Transit Administration Technical Study Grants TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I INTRODUCTION I-1 II TRANSIT FINANCE AND PROGRAM ASSISTANCE II-1 Statewide Mass Transportation Operating Assistance Program II-1 Background II-1 General Fund II-2 Mass Transportation Operating Assistance Fund II-2 Dedicated Mass Transportation Trust Fund II-2 Locally Generated Subsidies II-2 Payments to Transit Systems II-5 FFY 2004 Federal Transit Allocations and Apportionments II-9 Urbanized Area Formula Program II-10 Non-Urbanized and Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Program II-10 Fixed Guideway Modernization II-12 New Start Funding II-12 Discretionary Bus II-12 Jobs Access and Reverse Commute II-12 Over-the-Road Bus Accessibility Program II-13 FFY 2004 Transportation Appropriations Act Related Provisions II-13 2002 Capital Annual Report II-16 State Capital Assistance Programs for Non-MTA Transit Systems II-16 State Omnibus and Transit Purpose Program II-16 State Transit Dedicated Funds (SDF) II-16 Flexible Transfers to Transit II-17 Obligations and Expenditures II-17 Non-MTA Capital Program Area Emphasis II-17 Bus Replacement II-18 Bus Maintenance and Storage Facilities II-18 Intermodal Transportation Facilities II-19 Other Continuing Transit Capital Needs II-19 III STATUS AND PERFORMANCE OF MAJOR TRANSIT SYSTEMS III-1 System Overview Ridership Trends III-2 Transit Service Trends III-4 Transit Service Performance Measures III-6 Transit System Summaries by Grouping: New York City MTA New York City Transit III-9 MTA Staten Island Railway III-15 MTA Long Island Rail Road III-18 MTA Metro-North Railroad III-21 New York City Department of Transportation Bus III-24 New York City Department of Transportation Staten Island Ferry III-32 i TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page Downstate Suburban MTA Long Island Bus III-35 Westchester County Bee-Line III-41 Suffolk County III-46 Rockland County III-53 Dutchess County LOOP III-60 City of Poughkeepsie Transit III-62 Orange County III-67 Putnam Area Regional Transportation III-73 Upstate Authorities Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority III-77 Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority III-84 Central New York Regional Transportation Authority III-90 Capital District Transportation Authority III-95 Upstate Small Urbanized Areas Broome County Transit III-101 Utica Transit Authority III-106 Chemung County Transit System III-111 Greater Glens Falls Transit III-116 Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit III-121 IV STATE AND FEDERAL SPECIALIZED TRANSIT PROGRAM IV-1 Federal Section 5310 Program for Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities IV-1 Federal Section 5311 Program for Non-Urbanized Areas IV-1 Intercity Bus IV-3 Intercity Service Network IV-3 Trends in Intercity Bus Service IV-4 Intercity Bus Accessibility Grants IV-5 V MOBILITY AND INNOVATION IN NEW YORK STATE TRANSPORTATION V-1 Innovative Mobility And Job Access Funding V-1 Innovative Transit Services V-2 Urban/Suburban Mobility V-2 Welfare to Work Services V-5 Rural Mobility V-5 Transit Service Re-structuring Studies V-6 Ferry Service Expansion V-6 Transit Supportive Actions V-8 Transit- Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) V-8 Improvement and Integration of Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities with Transit V-10 Travel Demand Management Program and Incentives V-11 VI. NYSDOT TRANSIT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES VI-1 ii Rural Transit Assistance Program VI-1 Driver Training VI-1 RTAP Scholarship VI-1 Rural and Specialized Conference VI-1 Cooperative Activities with NYPTA VI-2 Drug and Alcohol Compliance VI-2 Mid-Atlantic Regional RTAP Group VI-2 Other RTAP Activities VI-2 Rural Marketing Initiative VI-3 Transit Technology and Security Technical Assistance Activities VI-3 iii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION TRANSIT IN NEW YORK STATE - 2002 The increases in State funding have allowed transit systems to maintain public transportation service levels, An efficient, safe and environmentally sound public as well as enable the State and transit systems to transit system is essential to moving people in both respond to emerging public transportation needs, rural and urban areas, and is a fundamental part of the including: suburban mobility, welfare to work, special State's multi-modal transportation infrastructure. Public needs of the elderly and accessibility for persons with transportation is an indispensable precondition for New disabilities. This strong support has also enabled transit York’s economy to function. The State's extensive systems in the State’s urbanized and rural areas to public transportation network provides mobility maintain fares at or below the national average, making alternatives for citizens in the State’s urban areas that transit a viable and affordable transportation alternative. are essential to the health of the economy of New York. Public transit also provides mobility for rural and In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, elderly residents in the State's small towns and villages, 2001, the heightened need to assign a larger portion of who do not have access to other modes of resources to the ongoing tasks of security and transportation, to travel to education, medical, social emergency preparedness has applied additional burden service and other necessary services. on the fiscal condition of the State’s transit systems. Security is a necessary expense to ensure the safety of The State’s significant funding for public transportation the traveling public, but the funds that support it come supports State economic and environmental polies, and from the same limited sources that fund needed service helps mitigate traffic congestion in the State’s major enhancement and expansion. urbanized areas. A direct benefit of New York’s extensive support for public transportation is the fact The efficiencies provided by public transportation are that the State consumes the lowest per capita use of a critical underpinning for the productivity and vitality energy for transportation by any state in the nation. of the State’s economy. Transit provides the businesses Energy consumption for transportation purposes in New of the State with highly efficient and economical access York is roughly two-thirds that of the national average. to the State’s labor pool. The population and employment densities that comprise the economy of the In 2002, New York State transit ridership remained at New York metropolitan region, and that play an record levels, with a slight increase over 2001 levels to important role in the State and national economies, the largest ridership level, 2.6 billion passenger trips, would not be possible in the absence of the vast since the Statewide Mass Transportation Operating network of transit services supported by the STOA Assistance Program (STOA) program was authorized in program. 1974 This increase occurred despite significant . In addition to the STOA program, the State’s multi-year infrastructure damage sustained during the terrorist transit capital program has identified nearly $2.2 billion attacks of September 11, 2001 by the state’s largest in State funding for the Metropolitan Transportation transit property, the New York City Subway. During Authority’s capital program over the 2000-2004 period. past four years ridership statewide has increased by16.5 For systems other than the MTA, the multi-year percent. Transit ridership in New York State accounts program includes $146.0 million in capital assistance for more than 1/3 of all transit trips taken in the United during this period. These new funds will be used for States. new bus acquisition, maintenance facility improvements and other regionally significant intermodal facility and This high level of transit service and utilization is capital projects that will further strengthen the ability of supported by New York State’s providing more than the state’s transit network to serve the travel needs of $1.7 billion in STOA funding support to the operations the public. of the State’s transit systems. Including the SFY 2003- 04 enacted budget, State support for public THIS REPORT transportation operating assistance has increased by approximately 30.9% since SFY 1996-1997. Section 18-b of New York State Transportation Law, I-1 establishing the STOA program, requires the investments in improving the customer’s Department of Transportation to report on the impact experience. New levels of capital investment and effectiveness of the statewide operating assistance are being made in new buses, facilities and program and the economy, efficiency and effectiveness customer amenities (improved transit waiting of transit service in the State. This report fulfills the areas, customer information, fleet legislative requirement by examining transit service management, bicycle access, payment media, and market characteristics, and the ongoing efforts of etc.). New York State Transit Operators to meet these changing markets. • Transit operators have established new and innovative services, including rail feeder Summarizing some of the themes of the Report: services, employer shuttles, express commuter routes, transportation brokerages, bus rapid • Ridership downstate continued to climb in transit concepts, as well as undertaking route 2002, despite the impacts of the September re-structuring studies to help understand