Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority Explained

Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority
Founded:1969
Headquarters:1372 East Main Street
Rochester, New York
Locale:Monroe and surrounding counties
Service Area:Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, and Wyoming counties, New York
Service Type:Public transit
Destinations:Rochester and surrounding area
Hubs:RTS Transit Center
Fleet:Bus, Van
Ridership:
Annual Ridership:
Fuel Type:Diesel, diesel-electric, electric[1]
Operator:RTS, B-Line, RTS Livingston, RTS Wayne, RTS Genesee, RTS Ontario, RTS Wyoming, RTS Orleans, RTS Seneca, RTS Access
Ceo:Bill Carpenter

The Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA) is a New York State public-benefit corporation which provides transportation services in the eight-county area in and around Rochester, New York. Currently, RGRTA oversees the daily operation of eleven subsidiaries under the parent company of the RGRTA, including paratransit services.[2] In, the combined system of eleven subsidiaries had a ridership of, or about per weekday as of .

Organization

The RGRTA is guided by a 16-member board of commissioners (one of which is vacant).[3] The management team is headed by CEO Miguel Velazquez,[4] who reports to the board.[5] In 2017, the RGRTA had operating expenses of $116.51 million and a level of staffing of 1,045 people.[6]

History

Rochester Railway Company

See main article: Rochester Railway Company. Public transportation in the greater Rochester area can trace its roots back to the streetcar and interurban lines operated by the Rochester Railway Company and later New York State Railways. In 1929, New York State Railways entered receivership, and local interests formed a plan to reorganize the former Rochester Railway. After several years of negotiation, the New York State Public Service Commission approved a reorganization plan in 1937 put together by attorney Howard Woods and his committee of stockholders.[7]

Rochester Transit Corporation

See main article: Rochester Transit Corporation. On August 2, 1938, Rochester Transit Corporation assumed operation of the bus and streetcar operations serving the city.[8] The last streetcar line was converted to bus operation in 1941, though contract operation of the city-owned Rochester Subway continued until 1956 (RTC ended freight operations in the Subway by 1957, transferring the responsibility to the connecting railroads).[9] The company was returned to local control in 1943 when the remaining shares owned by Associated Gas & Electric were bought out.

From Private to Public

With postwar prosperity came increased use of automobiles and the spread of population out to the suburbs. Rochester Transit Corporation was plagued by labor unrest, and strikes in 1952 and 1965 ground the system to a halt.[10] A dispute over job listings and seniority caused a brief two-day strike in May 1967. With the transit workers contract coming to an end that fall, stalled negotiations led to another strike in November 1967. The work stoppage continued through the holiday season, and with no end in sight, the City of Rochester drew up a plan to condemn and purchase the transit company operations. Over the objections of RTC, the strike came to an end on January 25, 1968, and the city contracted with National City Management Company to operate the bus lines as Rochester Transit Service.[11]

Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA) was formed in 1968 by a state act of government which also formed three similar agencies in Syracuse, Buffalo, the Capital District around Albany and New York City. The RGRTA took over the former RTC bus operation from the City of Rochester and later began expanding bus service to outlying suburban and rural areas. The lines that made up the former RTC service became part of the Regional Transit Service (RTS) in Rochester and Monroe County.[12]

Regional Transit Service

The largest subsidiary of the RGRTA, Regional Transit Service (RTS) serves Monroe County (Rochester and its immediate suburbs) as well as providing service to students at Monroe Community College and Rochester Institute of Technology. Students in the Rochester City School District are also served. Suburban and park-and-ride routes serve the outlying towns in Monroe County and surrounding counties of Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne and Wyoming, including service into Avon, Victor, Lyons, and Le Roy. RTS also serves major shopping centers and malls in Monroe County, such as various Walmart locations, Marketplace Mall in Henrietta, Eastview Mall in Victor and The Mall at Greece Ridge in Greece.

Bus routes

Regional Transit Service operates a number of individual routes, most of which operate on a hub and spoke system from Downtown Rochester. These routes originate at the RTS Transit Center (Pictured Below) at 60 St. Paul Street along Mortimer Street.

Prior to November 28, 2014, the opening date of the transit center, routes originated from the corner of Main and Clinton or from Broad Street. The Main and Clinton stops had been in place since 1863. With the move came a change in routes, stops and times including the elimination of through-routing, in which a bus would operate between two or more different routes during scheduled runs.

On May 17, 2021, the RTS launched Reimagine RTS and the system underwent a complete renumbering and opened new Connection Hubs at highly traveled points of interest.

As of April 4, 2022, the current routes operated by Regional Transit Service include the following:

Monroe County

RTS Connect:

Neighborhood Direct Service:

RTS On Demand:

Routes outside Monroe County

Former Routes in Monroe County

Prior to May 17, 2021

Former Routes outside Monroe County

Other subsidiaries

On August 19, 2014, RGRTA announced a rebranding of all their bus lines in the surrounding counties under their control to be named RTS, with the county name following, as shown above, rather than independent names. The changes were officially implemented immediately with equipment and uniforms changing as they are phased in.[79]

Facilities

In 2014, the authority opened a $50 million 87000square feet RTS transit center in downtown Rochester, replacing the former bus station that was part of Midtown Plaza.[80] [81] The center has 30 bays capable of handling up to 100 buses per hour.[82]

See also

External links

References and Notes

AThis ridership number only accounts for RTS Monroe County. It does not include other subsidies, including RTS Access.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Governor Cuomo Announces Addition of 10 Electric Buses to Regional Transit Service Fleet in Rochester. 2020-10-07. 2020-10-07.
  2. Web site: Public Authorities Administrative File: RGRTA. State of New York – Office of State Comptroller. 14 May 2011. 3.
  3. Web site: RGRTA Commissioners Page. November 6, 2018.
  4. https://www.myrts.com/about-us/executive-management-team
  5. Web site: RGRTA Management Page. November 6, 2018.
  6. Web site: NYSABO 2018 Report. 16, 44. November 6, 2018.
  7. Smith . Henry Bradford . McKelvey . Blake . July 1968 . Rochester's Turbulent Transit History . Rochester History . 30 . 3 . 18 .
  8. Book: King, Shelden S. . The New York State Railways . 1975 . Whitehall Mail Service . Elmira, New York . 28.
  9. Book: Amberger, Ronald . Canalboats, Interurbans and Trolleys: The History of the Rochester Subway . 1985 . Rochester Chapter NRHS . Rochester, New York . 0-9605296-1-6 . 93.
  10. Smith . Henry Bradford . McKelvey . Blake . July 1968 . Rochester's Turbulent Transit History . Rochester History . 30 . 3 . 21–22 .
  11. Smith . Henry Bradford . McKelvey . Blake . July 1968 . Rochester's Turbulent Transit History . Rochester History . 30 . 3 . 23–24 .
  12. Web site: Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority > About Us. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120915112058/http://www.rgrta.com/aboutus.aspx . 2012-09-15 .
  13. Web site: 1 St. Paul Local Route.
  14. Web site: 2 North Clinton Local Route.
  15. Web site: 3 Joseph Frequent Route.
  16. Web site: 4 Hudson Frequent Route.
  17. Web site: 5 Portland Frequent Route.
  18. Web site: 6 North Goodman Local Route.
  19. Web site: 7 Clifford/Empire Local Route.
  20. Web site: 8 East Main Frequent Route.
  21. Web site: 9 University Local Route.
  22. Web site: 10 Park Local Route.
  23. Web site: 11 Monroe Frequent/Local Route.
  24. Web site: 12 South Clinton Local Route.
  25. Web site: 13 South Avenue Local Route.
  26. Web site: 14 Marketplace Local Route.
  27. Web site: 15 Plymouth Local Route.
  28. Web site: 16 Genesee Frequent Route.
  29. Web site: 17 Jefferson/19th Ward Local Route.
  30. Web site: 18 Chili Local Route.
  31. Web site: 19 Buffalo Road Local Route.
  32. Web site: 20 Lyell Local Route.
  33. Web site: 21 Dewey Frequent/Local Route.
  34. Web site: 22 Lake Frequent/Local Route.
  35. Web site: 23 West Ave/Airport Local Route.
  36. Web site: 40 Ridge Crosstown Route.
  37. Web site: 41 Culver/Goodman Crosstown Route.
  38. Web site: 50 Fairport/Penfield Suburban Route.
  39. Web site: 70 Seabreeze Seasonal Route.
  40. Web site: Route 71 Public Market Special.
  41. Web site: 91 Commuter Route.
  42. Web site: 92 Commuter Route.
  43. Web site: 97 98 Commuter Route.
  44. Web site: School of the Arts Prince Street.
  45. Web site: Edison Tech/All City HS Colfax Street.
  46. Web site: Franklin Campus Norton Street.
  47. Web site: Wilson Magnet Commencement High School Genesee Street .
  48. Web site: Northeast Sr HS/Northwest Jr HS Fernwood Park.
  49. Web site: Monroe HS Alexander Street.
  50. Web site: Leadership Academy Lake Avenue.
  51. Web site: Brockport On Demand Zone.
  52. Web site: Greece On Demand Zone.
  53. Web site: Henrietta On Demand Zone.
  54. Web site: Irondequoit On Demand Zone.
  55. Web site: Lexington On Demand Zone.
  56. Web site: Pittsford/Eastview On Demand Zone.
  57. Web site: Webster On Demand Zone.
  58. Web site: Summary of Route and Schedule Changes . https://web.archive.org/web/20150306024324/http://www.myrts.com/Portals/0/Documents/RTS%20Route%20Changes%20Summary%20Nov%2028%202014.pdf . 2015-03-06.
  59. Web site: Maps & Schedules . https://web.archive.org/web/20150608001202/http://www.myrts.com/Maps-Schedules/RTS-Monroe/Schedule-pdfs. dead. 2015-06-08.
  60. Web site: RGRTA - - Schedules . https://web.archive.org/web/20050206170830/http://rgrta.com/SchedulesMaps/Schedules.aspx?RTS. dead. 2005-02-06.
  61. Web site: RGRTA - - Schedules . https://web.archive.org/web/20051216005934/http://www.rgrta.com/SchedulesMaps/Schedules.aspx?RTS. dead. 2005-12-16.
  62. Web site: RGRTA - Schedules & Maps : Schedules : RTS . https://web.archive.org/web/20090623023107/http://rgrta.com/SchedulesMaps/Schedules.aspx?RTS. dead. 2009-06-23.
  63. Web site: RTS Bus Schedules . https://web.archive.org/web/20040606165036/http://www.rgrta.com:80/routing/routes.asp . 2004-06-06.
  64. Web site: RTS Bus Schedules . https://web.archive.org/web/20040905084513/http://www.rgrta.com/routing/routes.asp . 2004-09-05.
  65. Web site: RGRTA - Schedules & Maps : Schedules : RTS . https://web.archive.org/web/20070217032649/http://www.rgrta.com/SchedulesMaps/Schedules.aspx?RTS. dead. 2007-02-17.
  66. Web site: RGRTA - Schedules & Maps : Schedules : RTS . https://web.archive.org/web/20081225224804/http://www.rgrta.com/SchedulesMaps/Schedules.aspx?RTS. dead. 2008-12-25.
  67. Web site: Maps & Schedules . https://web.archive.org/web/20170608022905/http://www.myrts.com/Maps-Schedules/RTS-Monroe/Schedule-pdfs. dead. 2017-06-08.
  68. Web site: Sept 1 2014 RTS Schedule Previews . https://web.archive.org/web/20141005204049/http://www.myrts.com/Maps-Schedules/RTS-Monroe/Schedule-pdfs. dead. 2014-10-05.
  69. Web site: Maps & Schedules . https://web.archive.org/web/20150906144327/http://www.myrts.com/Maps-Schedules/RTS-Monroe/Schedule-pdfs. dead. 2015-09-06.
  70. Web site: RGRTA - Schedules & Maps : Schedules : RTS . https://web.archive.org/web/20070810084959/http://www.rgrta.com/SchedulesMaps/Schedules.aspx?RTS. dead. 2007-08-10.
  71. Web site: RGRTA - Schedules & Maps . https://web.archive.org/web/20060627071215/http://www.rgrta.com/SchedulesMaps/Schedules.aspx?RTS. dead. 2006-06-27.
  72. Web site: RGRTA - Schedules & Maps : Schedules : RTS . https://web.archive.org/web/20070403023040/http://www.rgrta.com/SchedulesMaps/Schedules.aspx?RTS. dead. 2007-04-03.
  73. Web site: RGRTA - Schedules & Maps : Schedules : RTS . https://web.archive.org/web/20061228144028/http://www.rgrta.com/SchedulesMaps/Schedules.aspx?RTS. dead. 2006-12-28.
  74. Web site: RTS Bus Schedules . https://web.archive.org/web/20030621094437/http://www.rgrta.com/routing/routes.asp . 2003-06-21.
  75. Web site: RGRTA - Schedules & Maps : Schedules : RTS . https://web.archive.org/web/20071012133002/http://rgrta.com/SchedulesMaps/Schedules.aspx?RTS. dead. 2007-10-12.
  76. Web site: RGRTA – Regional Operations: BBS Services. RGRTA. 7 May 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111004124728/http://www.rgrta.com/RegionalOperations/BBS.aspx. 4 October 2011.
  77. Web site: RGRTA – Regional Operations: LATS. Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority. 7 May 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111004124742/http://www.rgrta.com/RegionalOperations/LATS.aspx. 4 October 2011.
  78. Web site: RGRTA Regional Operations: WATS Service. Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority. 8 May 2011.
  79. Web site: New Look for Public Transit.
  80. News: 2014-11-28. Riders Get A Chance To Check Out The New RTS Transit Center. WXXI (AM). Rochester, New York. 2014-11-30.
  81. News: 2014-11-28. Praise, complaints as RTS Transit Center opens. Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. 2014-11-30.
  82. Web site: RTS Transit Center Features. www.myrts.com. Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority. 2014-11-30.