Broome County Transit

Broome County Transit (BC Transit) (Tri-City Binghamton, Johnson City, Endwell, Vestal, Kirkwood NY)
	BC Transit buses on the Binghamton University campus, May 2008.
Headquarters	413 Old Mill Road, Vestal
Service area	Broome County, New York
Service type	bus service, paratransit
Routes	19
Stops	900+
Fuel type	Diesel, Diesel-electric hybrid
Website	ridebctransit.com

Broome County Transit, popularly branded as B.C. Transit, is the public transportation system serving Broome County, New York, which includes the city of Binghamton and surrounding communities.

History

B.C. Transit was founded in 1968 when Broome County took over the assets of the private Triple Cities Traction Corporation, a takeover similar to those that took place in Rochester and Schenectady years prior. Unlike those city's transit systems, which became part of public benefit corporations, B.C. Transit is still owned and operated by the county (Department of Public Transportation) and is the largest such operator in Upstate New York (third largest overall in the state).

Broome Transit originally used a logo designed by renowned Swiss–Canadian designer Fritz Gottschalk. At a later date, it rebranded as "B.C. Transit" and adopted the character Thor from the comic strip B.C., drawn by Endicott, New York native Johnny Hart.^[1] The "B.C." is also based (very) loosely on one of the logos from that comic strip as well.^{[citation needed]}

At the time of B.C. Transit's formation, they inherited the token stock of Triple Cities Traction Corporation and that company's predecessor, the Binghamton Railway Company^{[citation needed]}. These same tokens, some dating back to the turn of the 20th century, circulated until B.C. Transit phased out the token at the end of 2005 when they went to electronic fare collection.

Routes and services

City of Binghamton

3 Park Ave
5 Vestal Ave
7 Clinton St
8 Front St
9 BU Advantage
12 Conklin Ave
15 Leroy St
17 Johnson City
28 Robinson St

Other Triple Cities

35M Endicott (Binghamton to Endicott via Main St)
35W Endicott (Binghamton to Endicott via Watson Boulevard)
35x Express (Binghamton to Endicott via Main St But bypasses Oakdale Mall)
40 Chenango St
47 Vestal-Endicott
57 Shoppers Special

Rural

51 Kirkwood Commuter
53 Corporate Park
55 Endwell Shuttle
59 West Corners Shuttle

15 Leroy turns into the 5 Vestal at the Junction.

17 Legacy Bay and 47 Vestal

Paratransit and other services

B.C. Lift: Americans with Disabilities Act mandated service for those who are physically unable to ride regular fixed-route services and live within the B.C. Transit fixed-route area.
OFA Mini-Bus: Similar to B.C. Lift, but intended for persons age 65 and over, physical disability is not required. Service paid for by Broome County Office for Aging and operated by BC Transit.
B.C. Country: Dial-a-ride service for those who live in areas of Broome County not served by fixed-route transit service and meet certain other criteria.

Fleet

Current fleet

An Interior View of a B.C. Transit Orion VI

(All buses are Wheelchair-accessible )

Year	Manufacturer	Model	Fleet Numbers	Engine	Transmission	Notes
2009	Daimler Buses North America	Orion VII NG HEV	101-106	Cummins ISB	BAE Systems Hybridrive	101, 103-106 are Retired.
2010	Daimler Buses North America	Orion VII EPA10 HEV	601-606	Cummins ISB6.7	BAE Systems Hybridrive
2014	Gillig	Low Floor 40'	701-707	Cummins ISL9	Voith D864.5
2017	Gillig	Low Floor 40'	721-727	Cummins L9	Voith D864.6
2018-19	Gillig	Low Floor 40'	741-748	Cummins L9	Voith D864.6	741-747 are 2018 Models and 748 is a 2019 Model.
2019	Gillig	Low Floor HEV 40'	621-623	Cummins B6.7	BAE Systems HDS 200
2019	Gillig	Low Floor 40'	761-765	Cummins L9	Voith D864.6
2021	Gillig	Low Floor HEV 40'	641, 642	Cummins B6.7	BAE Systems HDS 200
2021	Gillig	Low Floor 40'	781-783	Cummins L9	Allson B3400xFE
2024	Gillig	Low Floor HEV 40'	661-665	Cummins B6.7	BAE Systems HDS 200

Future fleet

BC Transit has signed a contract to purchase 6 Novabus LFSe+ Battery Electric Buses, expected to be in service by 2024.

Pending the announcement of Novabus departing the US market, these plans are in the air and in all likelihood Broome County Transit will aim to receive Gillig Low Floor Electric's instead.

BC Transit is anticipated to receive up to 4-6 Gillig Low Floor Hybrids in the summer of 2024.

Past fleet

Year	Builder	Model	Fleet Numbers	Retired year & notes
1979	GMC	RTS-03	101-106 (1st)
1982	Grumman Flxible	870	201-217 (1st)	Retired in 1996-1997. 205, 216 sold to Oneonta Public Transit.
1997-1998	OBI	Orion VI	201-212 (2nd)	Retired in 2015-2017. Ex-CDTA buses purchased in 2008, 2070 and 2099 also purchased for use as a parts bus
1996	OBI	Orion V	501-515
1987	OBI	Orion I 01.508	601-617 (1st)	602, 607, 608, 610, 612 sold to Private Transportation
1968	GMC	TDH-3502	701-707 (1st)
1986	OBI	Orion I 01.508	720, 729, 741, 757	Ex-NFTA buses purchased in 1997
1968	GMC	T6H-4521	801-814 (1st)	802, 804, 807, 809-812 sold to NFTA in 1987
2000	OBI	Orion VI	801-823	Retired in 2017
1992	OBI	Orion I CNG 01.508	900-902
2003	Gillig	Phantom 30'	2001, 2006, 2007	Retired in 2019. Ex-HART buses purchased in 2015
1999	NovaBus	LFS Suburban	3003-3005, 3010	Retired in 2020. Ex-CDTA buses purchased in 2015
1999	NovaBus	LFS	3022, 3025, 3030, 9915, 9918, 9927, 9930, 9932	Retired in 2020. Ex-CDTA buses purchased in 2015, 9901 and 9925 were also purchased from CDTA to be use as a parts bus
1997	Gillig	Phantom 30'	??	Retired in 2018. Ex-HART buses purchased in 2015
2007	OBI	Orion VII NG HEV	N/A	Ex-MTA NYCT 1292, acquired from BAE Systems. Never entered service

References

^ About Us | Broome County, NY Archived July 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

External links

[1] About Us | Broome County, NY Archived July 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

[1]