(Albany, NY) - The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) announced that it will make service changes on 16 routes, effective May 24, 2009.   

CDTA says the service changes are part of a plan to make CDTA's system more efficient and effective and ultimately serve more riders.

The organization says it's seeing record ridership--up 12% from last year.

The May service changes are part of a plan to reduce 35,000 service hours this year.  The first phase of service consolidations occurred in January when 12, 000 service hours were eliminated.  May changes will eliminate 10,600 hours of service and a third round of actions is expected to occur in September, addressing remaining service hour reductions. 

Affected routes are listed below:

• Route 5 Northern Boulevard (City of Albany and Village of Menands)
• Route 6 Second Avenue (City of Albany and Village of Menands)
• Route 9 Whitehall Road (City of Albany)
• Route 14 Third Street (City of Rensselaer and Town of Sand Lake)
• Route 15 East Street (City of Rensselaer)
• Route 18 Delaware Avenue (City of Albany and Town of Bethlehem)
• Route 33 Nassau (Town/Village of Nassau, Village of Castleton, Towns of Schodack and East Greenbush, City of Rensselaer
• Route 53 Altamont Avenue (City of Schenectady)
• Route 55 Albany-Schenectady (City of Schenectady)
• Route 59 Nott Street (City of Schenectady)  
• Route 70 Troy-Schenectady (City of Schenectady, Town of Colonie)
• Route 78 Schenectady West Loop (City of Schenectady and Village of Scotia)
• Route 471 Union Avenue (City of Saratoga Springs)
• Route 473 Jefferson Street (City of Saratoga Springs)
• Route 474 City Shuttle (City of Saratoga Springs)
• ShuttleBee (Towns of East and North Greenbush)

CDTA also says it will expand its new color-coded route numbering system to Albany and Rensselaer counties as it introduces the May service changes. This new system was introduced and tested in Saratoga, and provides riders with information to help them select their route.

Three digit route numbers, used for neighborhood and express routes, will provide information to riders about their route: 

• The first digit indicates the county of service-Albany (#1), Rensselaer (#2), Schenectady (#3) and Saratoga (#4)-followed by the route number.

For example, Route #14 is now Route # 214, which travels primarily in Rensselaer County.

• Express routes begin with the number five (5)-followed by the route number.              

        For example, Route #520 is an express that serves Rensselaer County

• Shuttles begin with the number six (6)-followed by the route number.
• Rural routes begin with the number eight (8)-followed by the route number.    

Route numbers on color-coded backgrounds enable riders to quickly identify the type and frequency of service:

•·         Green circle-Neighborhood routes (local service) have three-digit numbers

•·         Gold circle-Express routes have three-digit numbers

•·         Blue circle-Trunk routes keep their current one or two-digit route numbers

*Trunk routes are the primary routes in the system that operate 7 days a week and on a higher frequency and connect with neighborhood routes. 

CDTA schedules are being updated to reflect the new numbering and color coded system.  You can find more information on the schedule racks, on buses and posted online at cdta.org.