Upstate transit agencies say additional funding in the state budget should help avoid most service cuts. But costs — and demand — continue to rise.
Lawmakers approved a 7% increase in operating funds for the agencies. That’s far less than the 15% increase sought. But the budget also included capital funding for the addition of Yates County to Rochester’s Regional Transit Service system, and for Metro Rail in Buffalo.
“We rely on the state for significant increases,” said RTS chief executive Miguel Velázquez. “That allows us to maintain that pace with expenses that we've been experiencing -- as everybody else has -- in terms of inflation (and) supply chain issues.”
The four major upstate transit agencies’ dependence on state aid varies widely, according to a State Comptroller’s report released Wednesday. The report highlighted what portion of each agency’s 2024 budget was state dollars, finding:
- CENTRO system, based in Syracuse, was the highest at 63.3%
- The Capitol District Transportation Authority (CDTA) stood at 57.2%
- Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA) was 49.6%
- Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority was the lowest at 48.7%
Rising gas prices often are included in the discussion of current public transit costs, though averages remain below record levels seen in mid-2022. And many transit providers, including RTS, locked in their fuel prices before the latest upswing.
Still, Senate Transportation Committee chairman Jeremy Cooney, D-Rochester, said he was “a little frustrated” that efforts for the requested 15% funding increase fell short.
“I don't care if you're downstate or upstate, people deserve access to good public transportation,” Cooney said. “And we need to make sure that they have the resources to do that outside of New York City.”
The newly-passed state budget also includes funding for agencies to study how to expand transit service to employers that are outside of an agency’s service area to help people get to work.
