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.
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 |
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).
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
(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
- About Us | Broome County, NY Archived July 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine