Starting next month, Greene CATS Public Transit will eliminateits weekend service andexpandweekday hours. Greene CATS will also change some route schedules and raise its fares.
Here are some details:
- Weekday scheduled rides, which previously ended at 9 p.m., will be extended to 10 p.m.
- Fares will increase from $1.50 to $2 on flex routes, from $3 to $4 for in-county scheduled rides and $6 to $8 for out-of-county scheduled rides
- Changes will be implemented on July 1
The reason for the changes is threefold, according to the Executive Director of Greene CATS Ken Collier.
First, grant and emergency pandemic funding have run dry. The transit service also reports lower revenues, down 30% from past years. Collier said that’s because riders aren’t using their services to get to medical appointments.
“Now many of them are using tele-health services instead,” Collier said.
Another factor is a lack of drivers. Collier said that people that used to drive his vehicles are now driving for services like Amazon.
“We have tremendous competition now for drivers, particularly for those that require a CDL license,” he said. “Then, of course, the pay increases in the area for those jobs because of the demand.”
Collier said the changes starting in July should help make the staffing shortage more manageable.
He also said the changes were made with input from riders and drivers.
