Dutchess County Public Transit Ready to Welcome City of Poughkeepsie Passengers this Saturday
First Quarterly Public Meeting to be held Monday, July 17th

Poughkeepsie…Dutchess County Public Transit is ready to go with four new County bus routes in the City of Poughkeepsie set to begin operating this Saturday, July 1st.   These new routes ensure public transportation continues without interruption as the City of Poughkeepsie ends its bus service tomorrow, June 30th.   Drivers have been trained on the new routes and are ready to welcome passengers.

As with any new service, there are certain to be questions over the next several weeks.   The following is some helpful information for City of Poughkeepsie bus route passengers to know during the transition in service:

• Passengers can call Dutchess County Public Transit at (845) 473-8424 with questions about bus routes, including where stops are located; how best to make connections between routes; as well as find out about alternative public transit service options available.   Additional customer service dispatchers will be available over the next several weeks to assist with calls.
   
• Dutchess County Public Transit will honor City of Poughkeepsie bus tickets on the new routes through December 31, 2017.
   
• Over the next several weeks, passengers will be asked to share feedback through randomly distributed surveys conducted on the buses.
   
• There will be a public meeting to review the new routes and get input from users about how to adjust routes for optimal service changes on Monday, July 17th at the Family Partnership Center in Poughkeepsie at 6:30pm.
   

The July 17th meeting will be the first of quarterly public meetings that Dutchess County Public Transit will hold throughout the first year of the new service.    The public is encouraged to share feedback and suggestions about the initial launch of the new routes and help determine how to best expand and adjust services to meet the needs of city residents.   Feedback from this meeting, as well as the surveys, will be vital for the first round of route adjustments and changes slated to be made by early fall.  Public Transit will provide free transportation to and from the meeting.   Reservations are required and can be made by calling (845) 473-8424.

Additionally, a new task force has been formed, specifically designed to address the needs of public transit users living within the City of Poughkeepsie and those living with special needs. The task force is a nine-member group, appointed by the Dutchess County Executive and Chairman of the Legislature, and chaired by David Whalen, Dutchess County Department of Public Works Deputy Commissioner.   This ad hoc task force’s work is in addition to the efforts of the Public Transit Advisory Group, already established.

The new routes set to launch July 1st are:

• Route CJ (Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital, Route 9G, Dutchess Community College, Stop & Shop Hyde Park)
   
• Route CK (Vassar Hospital, Beechwood Avenue, Hudson & Poughkeepsie Plazas)
   
• Route CL (City School Tripper and Main Street, Riverfront, Poughkeepsie Train Station, Adams Fairacre Farms, Stop & Shop, Kmart)
   
• Route CM (Earline Patrice Park, Dutchess Community College, Fox Hill)

Additionally, two new shopping routes servicing City of Poughkeepsie senior housing communities were launched early this month.

As Dutchess County Public Transit already provides bus service countywide including in the City of Poughkeepsie, the expansion of service with the new routes falls within the County’s transit service authorization from the Federal Transit Administration.  No further authorization is required.

To learn more about the new routes and to view current bus schedules, go to: dutchessny.gov/publictransit.