Arc of Steuben opens county-wide bus routes to the public
BY MARY PERHAM THE LEADER

BATH - Residents in parts of Steuben County could find some relief from the cost of gas with the new public trans

portation system provided by the Arc of Steuben.

In the past, Arc transported its clients and employees, welfare recipients seeking medical attention and Office of Community Services clients from various locations to Bath. Now, the public at large is welcome to hop on board, with routes to Bath from Addison, Prattsburgh, Jasper-Troupsburg, and Wayland; and from Montour Falls and Lindley to Corning.

The service, called StAR, still caters primarily to its coreclients and provides one twoway runs per day.

Picks-ups along each route generally run between 6:30 a.m. and 8:50 a.m., and later from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and returning to Bath around 4:30 p.m. The bus runs Monday-Friday.

The plan to offer the service to the general public has been under development for several years, according to Arc Director of Transportation Debra Gleason.

The service was officially launched as a "soft opening" last week.

"We just don't want to be overwhelmed on our first day," she said.

Gleason said the service now coordinates with the other public transportation systems in the county, First Transit in the Corning-Elmira area, and the Hornell Area Transit system.

While the mid-afternoon run may not now help most workers with 9-to-5 jobs, Arc is considering adding a later run in the future, she said.

"And if people work in Wayland, that (afternoon) run could help them," she said.

The service will make stops in each town, and customers along the route can flag the bus down, Gleason said.

One-way fares are $1.50, with a senior discount of 75 cents. Monthly passes are $25 and a route deviation of up to three-quarters of a mile will cost $3.

"I know they're up there a little," Gleason said. "But I'd rather do that than turn around in a little bit and make them higher."

Given the 96-mile round trip to Troupsburg, or 46-mile round trip to Wayland at more than $4.25 per gallon, commuters are also likely to see an immediate savings despite the fare, she said.

County Department of Social Services Commissioner Kathryn Biehl said the Arc buses have transported welfare clients to medical appointments for years.

The new service is not the answer to the lack of rural mass transportation, she said, "but it's a start. It's a good start."

For more information on bus routes, call 776-1229 or (800) 251- 9416.