Memorandum 12/20/11 To: Tioga County Route 52 passengers From: TCAT staff Re: Alternatives to Route 52 service into Tioga County Date: Dec. 20, 2011 The last day of service for TCAT Route 52 into Tioga County will be Friday, Jan. 13, 2011. The following is a list of alternatives for you to consider: TIOGA TRANSPORT: The Tioga County Legislature passed a resolution allowing Ride Tioga to add two weekday trips from Owego to Ithaca via Route 38 and 79.  The bus will leave Newark Valley at 5:40 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.  The return trips will leave Ithaca at 4:00 p.m. and 4:40 p.m.  The actual schedules are being produced and will be on the Tioga County website soon at http://www.tiogacountyny.com.  The fares will be finalized by early next week.  PARK‑AND‑RIDES: TCAT staff asked the New York State Department of Transportation to allow year‑round parking at the Caroline turnaround. Unfortunately, due to safety reasons, NYSDOT staff said parking will remain prohibited at that location during the winter months. However, TCAT riders can park at the NYSDOT‑controlled “parking area,” (which is labeled as such) just east of Slaterville Springs, and about 3 miles west of the Tioga County line. If you do, please be mindful to leave room, not just for other park‑and‑ride cars, but for truck inspections as well.   VANPOOLING: TCAT contracts with VPSI Inc. to provide comfortable commuter vans and administrative support for a community vanpool program, which is a great alternative for those not served by a fixed bus route. How does it work? A vanpool is made up five to 14 commuters who live and work near one another. One person volunteers to be the driver of the vanpool and others can elect to be alternate drivers.  Vanpool members set their own daily schedule and commute route.  The group splits the cost of the van each month; the group may decide whether the cost of the main driver will be covered by the rest of the group.       How much does it cost? The cost depends on the number of people in the van and the distance traveled. A general rule of thumb is that it costs 5 to 10 cents per mile or between 10 to 20 percent of the cost of driving alone.  For most vanpoolers, the cost will range between $100 and $140 per person per month (not counting fuel), not including any additional subsidies from employers, such as those available to Cornell University and Ithaca College employees. Van costs can be paid for with pre-tax dollars if set aside by an employer for employee. Maintenance and vehicle insurance are already figured into the van costs! a fifteen-ride TCAT bus pass every three months. a “Just in Case” Ithaca Carshare membership plus $50 in free driving credit A guaranteed ride home in the event of an emergency. For more information, contact VPSI at 1-800-VANRIDE (800-826-7433) or go to www.vanride.com. To find a vanpool, go to: http://www.vanride.com/Commuter/SearchVans2.asp If you wish to speak to current local vanpoolers ,who are willing to share their experiences about the program, please contact Patty Poist, TCAT communications and marketing manager at 277‑9388, ext. 560 or email: pp1@tcatmail.com.   RIDESHARE: A new service in Tompkins County allows the public to use the ride sharing program Zimride. If you work, live or spend time in Tompkins County, you may be able to share the seats in your car or catch a ride with someone else. Check out www.zimride.com/tompkins.

12/15/11 Up-Date:     The Tioga County Legislature passed a resolution allowing Ride Tioga to add two  runs  from Owego to Ithaca via Route 38 and 79.  They will leave Newark Valley at 5:40 am and 6:30 am.  The return trips will leave Ithaca at 4:00 pm and 4:40 pm.  The actual schedules are being produced and will be on the Tioga County website soon.  The fares are will be finalized by early next week.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions.   Gary   Gary P. Grant Director of Administrative Services Tioga County Department of Social Services Phone 607-687-8303 Fax     607-687-6168 Email  49a939@dfa.state.ny.us

TCAT BUS SERVICE   In January of 2012, Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT), plans on discontinuing bus service into Tioga County.  Termination of this service into Tioga County will leave many looking for alternatives for their transportation needs into Tompkins County for work, shopping, appointments and other daily business. At a meeting held on October 11 at the Berkshire Town Hall, many local riders expressed their concerns at the ending of this service TCAT buses have provided local residents reliable transportation to Cornell and all of the Ithaca, Tompkins County area for many years. TCAT is currently working with Tioga Rides/Tioga Transit to develop connecting or overlapping routes to help continue service for our residents into Tompkins County. TCAT is also offering information on other alternatives such a van pooling.  If you wish to make a comment or get more information, contact Patty Poist TCAT, Communications and Marketing Manager, 737 Willow Ave. Ithaca, NY 14850, Fax (607) 277-9551, Office (607) 277-9388 ext. 560, Cell (607) 351-0839 e-mail  pp1@tcatmail.com and/or Russ Barber Operations Manager for Ride Tioga/Tioga Transit;  607-687-RIDE (7433) or e-mail ttopsman@stny.rr.com.  You should  also forward  your comments to your county representatives, Ronald N. McEwen, 28 Ballou Hill Rd. Berkshire NY. 13736 607-657-2531 and Ed Hollenbeck, 11 Cook St.  Newark Valley NY 13811 607-642-3201

Up -Date:  At this time Tcat intends to continue bus service to the Caroline turnaround at the Tompkins, Toga county line on State Rt. 79.  The problem is, there is no parking at the turnaround from November to April every year.  Tcat contacted Carl F. Ford of Region 3 of the New York State Department of Transportation in regard to keeping the Caroline turnaround open year round. and he suggested that Tcat send a letter asking to change the parking policy at the Caroline turnaround, however, given the state’s reasoning for the no parking policy at  the turnaround yearly from November to April (plows, salt trucks, etc.) Tcat is not overly optimistic this will happen. If you wish to write him as well (the more the better), here is his address: Carl F. Ford NYSDOT Region 3 Director 333 East Washington St. Syracuse, NY, 13202

Reminder: Public Hearing on Proposed Fare Increases and Service Reductions Nov. 3   The TCAT Board of Directors will conduct a public hearing 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, in the Borg Warner Room at Tompkins County Public Library regarding proposed service and fare changes for 2012.   The public hearing comes on the heels of 14 public information sessions held in both Tompkins and Tioga counties throughout October. The TCAT Board of Directors will vote on the proposals on Thursday, Dec. 1.   TCAT has undertaken the difficult process of cutting costs, reducing operating expenses and increasing revenues in order to absorb anticipated budget cuts. This is the third successive year in which state aid, TCAT’s largest source of financial support, has been significantly reduced. Every indication is that there will be additional cuts in state as well as federal assistance in 2012. TCAT’s three local funders, Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca and Cornell University are facing their own fiscal challenges.   TCAT’s service development department went through the extremely painstaking process of finding ways to reduce service on unfunded, poor performing and duplicative routes in a way that will have the least detrimental effect on our passengers. They include: discontinuing Tioga County service on the Route 52 as this service is not funded by Tioga County;  discontinuing the Route 68 as a portion of it duplicates the Route 15 service and there is low ridership on the Route 13/Elmira corridor; discontinuing special Tower Road trips on the Route 83; combining  Routes 53 and 54 in a way that will still enable full coverage; reducing frequency on rush hour trips on the Route 14 from every half hour to one hour, similar to other urban routes.   In addition, for the first time since 2003, TCAT is proposing fare increases for our rural boardings in 2012, as it obviously costs more in labor, parts and fuel to operate rural routes than our urban routes. We are proposing fares that originate in rural areas (Zone 2) outside the Greater Ithaca Area (Zone 1) to increase from $1.50 to $2.50.The fare for a trip that originates in Zone 1, traveling to Zone 2, will remain at $1.50. Rural trips at $2.50 inbound and $1.50 outbound, result in $4 round trips, up from current $3. (NOTE; In 2007, rural round trips were reduced from $6 to current levels. For more information on the proposals, please go to www.tcatbus.com.   Anyone needing audio, large print, sign language or language translation or persons with disabilities with any accessibility issues will be accommodated upon prior request in advance of the Nov. 3 public hearing by contacting Patty Poist, TCAT communications and marketing manager, at 607‑277‑9388, ext. 560 or at pp1@tcatmail.com.   In addition, TCAT is continuing its formal public comment period from now through December 1. Passengers are urged to submit written comments on the service change and fare structure proposals in an email to tcat@tcatmail.com or write Patty Poist, TCAT, 737 Willow Ave., Ithaca, NY, 14850. It would be helpful if you address your comments to the TCAT Board of Directors and label your correspondence “2012 service and fare changes.”

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