2001 Annual Report on Public Transportation Assistance Programs in New York State April, 2002 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 CAPITAL ASSISTANCE II-1 Statewide Mass Transportation Operating Assistance Program II-1 Background II-1 General Fund II-1 Mass Transportation Operating Assistance Fund II-1 Dedicated Mass Transportation Trust Fund II-4 Locally Generated Subsidies II-4 Payments to Transit Systems II-5 FFY 2001 Federal Transit Allocations and Apportionments II-8 Urbanized Area Formula Program II-8 Non-Urbanized and Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Program II-10 Fixed Guideway Modernization II-10 New Start Funding II-11 Discretionary Bus II-11 Jobs Access and Reverse Commute II-11 Over-the-Road Bus Accessibility Program II-12 FFY 2002 Transportation Appropriations Act Related Provisions II-12 2001 Capital Annual Report II-14 State Capital Assistance Programs for Non-MTA Transit Systems II-14 State Omnibus and Transit Purpose Program II-14 State Transit Dedicated Funds (SDF) II-14 Flexible Transfers to Transit II-15 Obligations and Expenditures II-15 Non-MTA Capital Program Area Emphasis II-15 Bus Replacement II-16 Bus Maintenance and Storage Facilities II-16 Intermodal Transportation Facilities II-17 Other Continuing Transit Capital Needs II-17 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-7 Transit System Summaries by Grouping: New York City MTA New York City Transit III-9 MTA Staten Island Railway III-17 MTA Long Island Rail Road III-21 MTA Metro-North Railroad III-25 New York City Department of Transportation Bus III-29 New York City Department of Transportation Staten Island Ferry III-37 i TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page Downstate Suburban MTA Long Island Bus III-41 Westchester County Bee-Line III-48 Suffolk County III-53 Rockland County III-61 Dutchess County LOOP III-69 City of Poughkeepsie Transit III-71 Orange County III-77 Putnam Area Rapid Transportation III-83 Upstate Authorities Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority III-87 Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority III-94 Central New York Regional Transportation Authority III-101 Capital District Transportation Authority III-108 Upstate Small Urbanized Areas Broome County Transit III-114 Utica Transit Authority III-120 Chemung County Transit System III-126 Greater Glens Falls Transit III-131 Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit III-136 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-4 Intercity Service Network IV-4 Trends in Intercity Bus Service IV-4 Intercity Bus Accessibility Grants IV-4 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-4 Bus Rapid Transit V-4 Rural Mobility V-5 Transit Service Re-structuring Studies V-6 Ferry Service Expansion V-6 Transit Supportive Actions V-7 Metrocard Fare Policies and Incentives V-7 Transit- Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) V-8 Improvement and Integration of Pedestrian and Bicycle ii Facilities with Transit V-9 Travel Demand Management Program and Incentives V-11 VI. NYSDOT TRANSIT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES VI-1 Rural Transit Assistance Program VI-1 Driver Training VI-1 RTAP Scholarship VI-1 Rural and Specialized Conference VI-1 Small Systems Summit VI-2 Drug and Alcohol Compliance VI-2 Mid-Atlantic Regional RTAP Group VI-2 Other RTAP Activities VI-2 GIS and ITS Technical Assistance Activities VI-2 ITS Technical Assistance VI-3 iii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION TRANSIT IN NEW YORK STATE - 2000 budget, State support for public transportation operating assistance has increased by approximately An efficient, safe and environmentally sound public 16% since 1996. transit system is essential to moving people in both rural and urban areas, and is a fundamental part of the The increases in State funding have allowed transit State's multi-modal transportation infrastructure. The systems to maintain and enhance public transportation State's extensive public transportation network service levels as well as enable the State and transit provides mobility alternatives for citizens in the State’s systems to support emerging public transportation urban areas that are essential to the health of the needs, including: suburban mobility, welfare to work, economy of New York. Public transit also provides special needs of the elderly and accessibility for mobility for rural and elderly residents in the State's persons with disabilities. This strong support has also small towns and villages, who do not have access to enabled transit systems in the State’s urbanized and other modes of transportation, to travel to education, rural areas to maintain fares at or below the national medical, social service and other necessary services. average, making transit a viable and affordable transportation alternative. Not only does public transportation support State economic and environmental policies, the State’s The efficiencies provided by public transportation are significant financial assistance helps mitigate traffic a critical underpinning for the productivity and vitality congestion in the State’s major urbanized areas. A of the State’s economy. Transit provides the businesses direct benefit of New York’s extensive support for of the State with highly efficient and economical public transportation is the fact that the State access to the State’s labor pool. The population and consumes the lowest per capita use of energy for employment densities that comprise the economy of transportation by any state in the nation. Energy the New York Metropolitan region, and that, in turn, consumption for transportation purposes in New York play an important role in the State and National is roughly two-thirds that of the national average. economies, would not be possible in the absence of the vast network of transit services supported by the STOA These important functions of transit serve to improve program. the quality of life of the State’s communities and can serve as important elements in achieving the kinds of In addition to the STOA program, the State’s multi- quality of life objectives that the State has established year transit capital program has identified nearly $2.2 in the Governor’s Quality Communities Initiative. billion in State funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s capital program over the In 2000, New York State transit ridership increased by 2000-2004 period. For systems other than the MTA, 7% over 1999 levels - to the largest ridership level, 2.5 the multi-year program includes $146.0 million in billion passenger trips, since the Statewide Mass capital assistance during this period. These new funds Transportation Operating Assistance Program (STOA) will be used for new bus acquisition, maintenance program was authorized in 1974. Over the past five facility improvements and other regionally significant years ridership statewide has increased by 31%. In intermodal facility and capital projects that will further 2000, the increase in New York’s transit ridership strengthen the ability of the state’s transit network to accounted for more than half of the entire national serve the travel needs of the public. increase in ridership. Transit ridership in New York State accounts for over 1/3 of all transit trips taken in THIS REPORT the United States. Section 18-b of New York State Transportation Law, This high level of transit service and utilization is the establishing the STOA program, requires the outcome of New York State providing $1.6 billion in Department of Transportation to report on the impact STOA funding support to the operations of the State’s and effectiveness of the statewide operating assistance transit systems. Including the SFY 2001-02 enacted I-1 program and the economy, efficiency and effectiveness transit waiting areas, customer information, of transit service in the State. This report fulfills the fleet management, bicycle access, payment legislative requirement by examining transit service media, etc.). and market characteristics, and the ongoing efforts of New York State Transit Operators to meet these ! Transit operators have established new and changing markets. innovative services including rail feeder services, employer shuttles, express commuter Summarizing some of the themes of the Report: routes, transportation brokerages, bus rapid transit concepts, as well as undertaking route ! Ridership downstate continued to climb in re-structuring studies to help understand and 2000 in response to the continued strong respond to changing markets with more performance of the downstate economy and targeted services. very successful MetroCard free transfer fare incentives; ! Communities Statewide have placed increasing demands on local transit systems ! Upstate ridership ranged from slight to manage the construction or rehabilitation increases to modest declines that have of intermodal transportation centers. These typically mirrored core service area facilities provide significant benefits in terms population change. A