NY: Free Chatham-to-Hudson shuttle launches Tuesday

A new shuttle service is launching this week in Columbia County.

The shuttle, which is free for all riders, runs from Chatham in the northern part of the county through Ghent and Greenport to Hudson and back. The $200,000 in funding for the service was secured by state Sen. Michelle Hinchey and Assemblywoman Didi Barrett, who originally announced the plan in 2024.

Michael Chameides, the chair of the Public Transportation Committee of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement that the shuttle will provide more opportunities to get to "medical appointments, shopping, recreation, and more places we need to go."

"Public transportation benefits everyone, whether you are a rider or not," Chameides said. "Transportation drives the economy, helping people get to work and to shop. It reduces costs when people can efficiently get to their medical appointments and government services."

The new route, operated by Johnston Transportation, adds to the limited public transportation options in the rural county. There are currently three intracounty transportation options: a "shopping shuttle" that runs from Hudson to big-box stores and supermarkets along Fairview Avenue in Greenport; a county bus that operates once a day, Monday through Thursday, to various towns, and an after-school shuttle that runs to student programs on weekdays. There is also a commuter shuttle to Albany.

"The route provides transportation to essential services in the Hudson/ Greenport area, while at the same time it provides additional opportunities for more people from the Hudson/ Greenport area to experience all that Chatham has to offer," Chatham Village Mayor John Howe said in a statement.

The shuttle stops at several shopping centers on Route 66 and Fairview Avenue, including Fairview Plaza, Columbia Center Plaza, Walmart and Price Chopper. It runs on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.