POUGHKEEPSIE – The clock
is ticking , with a tentative timeline of less than five months before
the City of Poughkeepsie bus system would become part of Dutchess County
transit.
County Transit Administrator Cynthia Ruiz told the Common Council Monday
night that based on input from recent meetings, they have developed four
routes that would cover the city and surrounding areas. They would
provide service to key locations such the hospitals and nearby shopping
centers, including Hudson Plaza and Poughkeepsie Plaza on Route 9 south
of the city, the Stop and Shop in Hyde Park and the Adams east of the
city.
“All the routes will start between 6:00 and 6:30 in the morning and will go to 11:00, 11:30 at night, so the service that we’re proposing is expanded from the service that you currently have,” Ruiz said.
She said they developed the new routes based on many discussions with major businesses and institutions, including the schools, hospitals and major businesses to determine their particular needs, based on shifts and hours.
Ruiz said what they have now is a draft.
“This is a starting point and we’re hoping that as we move forward, we’re prepared and we’re listening to what need, so that we can tweak it.”
There was another 45 minutes of opportunity to listen to what people are saying at the start of Monday night’s council meeting. Again, several spoke, both on the over 16 percent tax hike that came with the 2017 budget, and, also as part of the budget, handing the city bus system over to the county.
Mayor Robert Rolison, who noted during the meeting that ridership on city buses has dropped sharply in the past two years, included the transfer of the bus system as a way to avoid an even more dramatic tax increase this year.
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