Broome County Transit

Broome County Transit
BC Transit buses on the Binghamton University campus, May 2008.
Headquarters 413 Old Mill Road, Vestal
Service area Broome County, New York
Service type bus service, paratransit
Routes 21
Stops 900+
Fuel type Diesel, Diesel-electric hybrid, CNG
Website ridebctransit.com

Broome County Transit, popularly branded as B.C. Transit, is the public transportation system serving Broome County, New York, which includes the city of Binghamton and surrounding communities.

History

B.C. Transit was founded in 1968 when Broome County took over the assets of the private Triple Cities Traction Corporation, a takeover similar to those that took place in Rochester and Schenectady years prior. Unlike those city's transit systems, which became part of public benefit corporations, B.C. Transit is still owned and operated by the county (Department of Public Transportation) and is the largest such operator in Upstate New York (third largest overall in the state).

Logo for Broome Transit, 1968, by Swiss–Canadian designer Fritz Gottschalk
BC Transit logo on bus with black ribbon mourning the death of "B.C." cartoonist Johnny Hart.

Broome Transit originally used a logo designed by renowned Swiss–Canadian designer Fritz Gottschalk. At a later date, it rebranded as "B.C. Transit" and adopted the character Thor from the comic strip B.C., drawn by Endicott, New York native Johnny Hart.[1] The "B.C." is also based (very) loosely on one of the logos from that comic strip as well.

At the time of B.C. Transit's formation, they inherited the token stock of Triple Cities Traction Corporation and that company's predecessor, the Binghamton Railway Company. These same tokens, some dating back to the turn of the 20th century, circulated until B.C. Transit phased out the token at the end of 2005 when they went to electronic fare collection.

Routes and services

City of Binghamton

  • 3 Park Ave
  • 5 Vestal Ave
  • 7 Clinton St
  • 8 Front St
  • 9 BU Advantage
  • 12 Conklin Ave
  • 15 Leroy St
  • 17 Legacy Bay
  • 28 Robinson St

Other Triple Cities

  • 35M Endicott (Binghamton to Endicott via Main St)
  • 35W Endicott (Binghamton to Endicott via Watson Boulevard)
  • 35x Express (Binghamton to Endicott via Main St But bypasses Oakdale Mall)
  • 35o Oakdale Mall (Binghamton to Oakdale Mall (same route as the other 35 routes but only as far as Oakdale Mall doesn't go to Endicott)
  • 40 Chenango St
  • 47 Vestal
  • 57 Shoppers Special

Rural

  • 51 Kirkwood Commuter
  • 53 Corporate Park
  • 55 Endwell Shuttle
  • 59 West Corners Shuttle

Some routes that begin or terminate at BC Junction and/or Binghamton University continue as another route rather than turning around. For example, the outbound 5 Vestal from BC Junction becomes an inbound 15 Leroy upon reaching the BU Campus (likewise an outbound 15 Leroy turns into an inbound 5 Vestal at the University.) The same is true for:

  • 3 Park and 23 Westside
  • 17 Legacy Bay and 47 Vestal

Paratransit and other services

  • B.C. Lift: Americans with Disabilities Act mandated service for those who are physically unable to ride regular fixed-route services and live within the B.C. Transit fixed-route area.
  • OFA Mini-Bus: Similar to B.C. Lift, but intended for persons age 65 and over, physical disability is not required. Service paid for by Broome County Office for Aging and operated by BC Transit.
  • B.C. Country: Dial-a-ride service for those who live in areas of Broome County not served by fixed-route transit service and meet certain other criteria.

Fleet

Current fleet

An Interior View of a B.C. Transit Bus

(All buses are Wheelchair-accessible )

References

  1. ↑ About Us | Broome County, NY Archived July 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.