Centro restructuring fares, increasing service as of March 7

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Centro plans new fares that will reduce transit costs for most Centro bus riders, continue restoring service on various bus routes in Onondaga County, and implement minor service changes for select routes in Auburn, Fulton, Oswego, Rome and Utica.

The changes are set to take effect on Monday, March 7, Centro said in a Friday news release.

Centro’s board on Friday unanimously approved new fares that will set one-way fares for all Centro city bus services at $1 a ride for adult users. In addition, the board approved a fare of 50 cents per ride for individuals who qualify for half fare, including senior citizens over 65, people with a disability, and children ages 6-9.

The fare changes represent a reduction in the adult fare from $2 per ride in Syracuse and Onondaga County, and from $1.50 in Utica. The new fare structure also sets uniform fare pricing for all of Centro’s ride passes. Bus fares in Oswego, Fulton, Mexico, and Auburn are currently set at $1.

“We are pleased to offer these new fares for our customers,” Brian Schultz, CEO of Centro, said in the release. “We believe these fares will allow existing customers to use our transit services more often and entice new users to the Centro bus system. This also allows us to standardize pricing for city bus services in each of the communities we serve.”

The simplified fare system will also enable customers to buy bus passes directly from the farebox upon boarding the bus, Centro said.

Service changes

The service enhancements — which are a direct result of an increase in Centro’s workforce — will increase morning, midday, and rush-hour service on a number of Centro’s routes.

The service changes include:

• increased frequency on the James Street, Liverpool, Court Street, Fayetteville-Manlius, Solvay, Mattydale, North Syracuse, and Henry Clay Blvd bus lines
• resumption of bus service to Bennett Manor, Iroquois Nursing Home, Drumlins, Northeast Medical Center and Ollie’s Plaza (Rome)
• rescheduling of midday service on the Aub38 and Ful 4/5 routes
• rescheduling of morning, midday, and evening rush-hour trips on the Osw46 route
• route modifications to the Ut12, Ut28, and Ut29 routes

“Though our workforce is not at full capacity, it has increased. We have a class of new bus operators who will be placed in service later this month, which will allow us to restore service that we regretfully had to curtail during our labor shortage crisis. As we continue to add bus operators, we are confident that we can restore our bus service to the level that our customers need and depend upon,” Steve Koegel, VP of communications and business planning, said.

Centro will continue to restore service levels as additional manpower becomes available, and customers are encouraged to submit service requests for consideration over the next several months, the organization said.

Restructured fares

City fares in Syracuse, Utica, Rome, Oswego, Fulton, and Auburn

Cash Fare Adult                      $1

Cash Fare Seniors 65+

Persons with Disabilities, Children 6-9       50 cents

Children Under 6                        FREE

Transfers                                    Discontinued

Day Pass Full Fare                     $4

Day Pass Half Fare                     $2

Weekly MAXPass Full Fare         $12

Weekly MAXPass Half Fare         $6

10-Ride Pass Full Fare                 $10

10-Ride Pass Half Fare                 $5

As part of the fare restructuring, Centro says it has also reduced the cost of its long-haul commuter services connecting Syracuse with Oswego / Fulton and Auburn. Those fares are as follows:

Commuter fares on services connecting Syracuse with Oswego, Fulton, and Auburn

Cash Fare Adult                             $3

Cash Fare Seniors 65+

Persons with Disabilities, Children 6-9       $1.50

Children Under 6                            FREE

Transfers                                        Discontinued

Day Pass Full Fare                         $7

Day Pass Half Fare                        $3.50

Weekly MAXPass Full Fare            $30

Weekly MAXPass Half Fare            $15

10-Ride Pass Full Fare                   $30

10-Ride Pass Half Fare                  $15