After UCAT expanded service into the City of Kingston in July 2019 and offered six months of free fares, Patrick K. Ryan, Ulster County Executive announced on Monday that the free ride initiative was going to be extended through March 31,2020.

According to a statement on ulstercountyny.com

“I’m excited to be able to extend free bus services in the City of Kingston for another quarter to better serve all residents of our community as we continue to see an increase in ridership and make further improvements,” said County Executive Pat Ryan. “I want to thank the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley and the City of Kingston for their valuable partnership in providing quality transportation services and ensuring we are reaching as many residents as possible.”

The same article looked at ridership numbers and discovered there was an increase of more than 2000 passengers on the 3 routes that UCAT offers during the last quarter of 2019 when compared to the Kingston Citibus numbers from 2018.

Moving forward what can riders expect as far as fees?

Ulster County in partnership with the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley has extended a grant agreement intended to provide increased access to public transportation within Kingston.   Beginning April 1, 2020, UCAT is proposing a base fare of $0.50 on routes within the City of Kingston, a reduction from the $1.00 charged by the City of Kingston prior to the consolidation of the two bus systems.

In addition, SUNY Ulster students will continue to receive free fares on all in-County routes throughout the duration of the year.

For more information about UCAT services check out their facebook page here or their website here.  There is also a public meeting scheduled for 2/10/2020 at 5:30pm in the UCAT offices, 1 Danny Circle in Kingston to discuss the new fare structure and routes.

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