NY: Ulster bus service to move Kingston Plaza hub point to Development Court in town of Ulster

Changes to the Ulster County Area Transit bus service will mean major changes to when — and where — riders will be able to catch a county bus.

Among the most significant changes will be the elimination of Kingston Plaza as the transfer hub for most UCAT buses. The plaza has served as such for several years.

“We were asked by the property owner to move that connection point,” Deputy County Executive Amanda LaValle said. She said the county will continue to provide bus service to the plaza for shoppers.

Lavalle said when the route changes go into effect on Sept. 15, the main transfer point for UCAT buses will be Development Court, located on U.S. Route 9W in the town of Ulster. Development Court is roughly 2.6 miles from the Kingston Plaza.

She said Development Court is the only county property with the room to accommodate the plethora of buses that will move in and out of the complex daily. LaValle said that although the Kingston Plaza will no longer be a UCAT transit hub, individuals who work or live in Uptown Kingston will not necessarily have to hoof it to the town of Ulster to catch a bus.

She said some buses, like the Kingston/ Saugerties line, will still stop at the Kingston Plaza. Riders on other buses, including the Z line, which now travels between the plaza and Phoencia, will be able to flag the bus down anywhere along its route through Uptown Kingston.

LaValle said route maps will be publicized by the week’s end.

The change is among many being made to the service and comes as ridership has been rising following the implementation of free countywide bus service in October 2022.

The surge in ridership has resulted in large numbers of riders gathering on the walkway in front of the Hannaford store in the Kingston Plaza, which has led to unruly behavior by some.

In July, the county contracted with Towers Security to place a security guard at the Hannaford, where riders gather while waiting for the bus.

As a result, LaValle said, “things have improved since the summer.”

She said the county will also provide security at the new hub.

On Aug. 11, the county also began placing two stewards on select bus routes with the hope of curbing unruly behavior on the buses.

According to Assistant Deputy County Executive Amberly Campbell, the stewards will ride all routes initially, then will be assigned to routes as needed.

Ulster County legislators began considering the bus steward funding in November in wake of reported rider aggression and bad behavior. Legislators included $131,498 to pay for those two positions.

The stewards are to be watchdogs for bad behavior, provide bus scheduling information, clean and sanitize buses, and provide other assistance to riders, leaving drivers to focus on driving, officials have said.

Legislators have said reports of unruly behavior increased after ridership spiked when the free-fare system was implemented in October 2022.

LaValle agreed that reports of incidents on the UCAT system have risen, but said it was “not in response to any action Ulster Countymade.”

Rather, she said, it is part of a national trend of increasing issues with public transportation.

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