Broome County Transit

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.

"B.C. Transit" redirects here. For the transit agency in British Columbia, see BC Transit.
Broome County Transit (BC Transit) (Tri-City Binghamton, Johnson City, Endwell, Vestal, Kirkwood NY)
BC Transit buses on the Binghamton University campus, May 2008.
Headquarters413 Old Mill Road, Vestal
Service areaBroome County, New York
Service typebus service, paratransit
Routes21
Stops900+
Fuel typeDiesel, Diesel-electric hybrid, CNG
Websiteridebctransit.com

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)
  • 40 Chenango St
  • 47 Vestal
  • 57 Shoppers Special

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

15 Leroy turns into the 5 Vestal at the Junction.

  • 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 )

  • 2nd Generation Nova Bus LF Series 40 Foot Diesel 3000's
  • 1st Generation Gillig Corporation 40 Foot CNG 700-762
  • 2009-10 Orion Bus Industries 07.501 NG (Diesel and HEV models) 101-106 & 601-606


Future fleet

BC Transit has been recently talking about buying new Gillig CNG buses, but it is unconfirmed

Past fleet

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.