Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority


The Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority is a New York State public-benefit corporation which provides transportation services in the eight-county area in and around Rochester, New York. Currently, RGRTA oversees the daily operation of eleven subsidiaries under the parent company of the RGRTA, including paratransit services. In, the combined system of eleven subsidiaries had a ridership of, or about per weekday as of.
WWW Official Site

Organization

The RGRTA is guided by a 16-member board of commissioners. The management team is headed by CEO Miguel Velazquez, who reports to the board. In 2017, the RGRTA had operating expenses of $116.51 million and a level of staffing of 1,045 people.

History

Rochester Railway Company

Public transportation in the greater Rochester area can trace its roots back to the streetcar and interurban lines operated by the Rochester Railway Company and later New York State Railways. In 1929, New York State Railways entered receivership, and local interests formed a plan to reorganize the former Rochester Railway. After several years of negotiation, the New York State Public Service Commission approved a reorganization plan in 1937 put together by attorney Howard Woods and his committee of stockholders.

Rochester Transit Corporation

On August 2, 1938, Rochester Transit Corporation assumed operation of the bus and streetcar operations serving the city. The last streetcar line was converted to bus operation in 1941, though contract operation of the city-owned Rochester Subway continued until 1956. The company was returned to local control in 1943 when the remaining shares owned by Associated Gas & Electric were bought out.

From Private to Public

With postwar prosperity came increased use of automobiles and the spread of population out to the suburbs. Rochester Transit Corporation was plagued by labor unrest, and strikes in 1952 and 1965 ground the system to a halt. A dispute over job listings and seniority caused a brief two-day strike in May 1967. With the transit workers contract coming to an end that fall, stalled negotiations led to another strike in November 1967. The work stoppage continued through the holiday season, and with no end in sight, the City of Rochester drew up a plan to condemn and purchase the transit company operations. Over the objections of RTC, the strike came to an end on January 25, 1968, and the city contracted with National City Management Company to operate the bus lines as Rochester Transit Service.
Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority was formed in 1968 by a state act of government which also formed three similar agencies in Syracuse, Buffalo, the Capital District around Albany and New York City. The RGRTA took over the former RTC bus operation from the City of Rochester and later began expanding bus service to outlying suburban and rural areas. The lines that made up the former RTC service became part of the Regional Transit Service in Rochester and Monroe County.

Regional Transit Service

The largest subsidiary of the RGRTA, Regional Transit Service serves Monroe County as well as providing service to students at Monroe Community College and Rochester Institute of Technology. Students in the Rochester City School District are also served. Suburban and park-and-ride routes serve the outlying towns in Monroe County and surrounding counties of Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne and Wyoming, including service into Avon, Victor, Lyons, and Le Roy. RTS also serves major shopping centers and malls in Monroe County, such as various Walmart locations, Marketplace Mall in Henrietta, Eastview Mall in Victor and The Mall at Greece Ridge in Greece.

Bus routes

Regional Transit Service operates a number of individual routes, most of which operate on a hub and spoke system from Downtown Rochester. These routes originate at the RTS Transit Center at 60 St. Paul Street along Mortimer Street.
Prior to November 28, 2014, the opening date of the transit center, routes originated from the corner of Main and Clinton or from Broad Street. The Main and Clinton stops had been in place since 1863. With the move came a change in routes, stops and times including the elimination of through-routing, in which a bus would operate between two or more different routes during scheduled runs.
On May 17, 2021, the RTS launched Reimagine RTS and the system underwent a complete renumbering and opened new Connection Hubs at highly traveled points of interest.
As of April 4, 2022, the current routes operated by Regional Transit Service include the following:

Monroe County

RTS Connect:
  • Route 1 St Paul Local Route
  • Route 2 North Clinton Local Route
  • Route 3 Joseph Frequent Route
  • Route 4 Hudson Frequent Route
  • Route 5 Portland Frequent Route
  • Route 6 North Goodman Local Route
  • Route 7 Clifford/Empire Local Route
  • Route 8 East Main Frequent Route
  • Route 9 University Local Route
  • Route 10 Park Local Route
  • Route 11 Monroe Frequent/Local Route
  • Route 12 South Clinton Local Route
  • Route 13 South Avenue Local Route
  • Route 14 Marketplace Local Route
  • Route 15 Plymouth Local Route
  • Route 16 Genesee Frequent Route
  • Route 17 Jefferson/19th Ward Local Route
  • Route 18 Chili Local Route
  • Route 19 Buffalo Road Local Route
  • Route 20 Lyell Local Route
  • Route 21 Dewey Frequent/Local Route
  • Route 22 Lake Frequent/Local Route
  • Route 23 West Ave/Airport Local Route
  • Route 40 Ridge Crosstown Route
  • Route 41 Culver/Goodman Crosstown Route
  • Route 42 Lyell/Upper Falls Crosstown Route
  • Route 50 Fairport/Penfield Suburban Route
  • Route 70 Seabreeze Seasonal Route
  • Route 71 Public Market Special Route
  • Route 91 Newark/Lyons Commuter Route
  • Route 92 Hilton/Hamlin Commuter Route
  • Route 97 Elmwood Commuter Route
  • Route 98 Lexington Commuter Route
Neighborhood Direct Service:
  • School of the Arts Prince Street
  • *Route 270 Prince St/Maplewood-Charlotte
  • *Route 271 Prince St/Maplewood-Dewey
  • *Route 272 Prince St/Edgerton
  • *Route 273 Prince St/Lyell-Otis
  • *Route 274 Prince St/Dutchtown
  • *Route 275 Prince St/19th Ward NW
  • *Route 276 Prince St/19th Ward SE
  • *Route 277 Prince St/Genesee
  • *Route 278 Prince St/Mayor's Heights-Plymouth
  • *Route 280 Prince St/Highland-Strong
  • *Route 281 Prince St/N Winton Village
  • *Route 283 Prince St/N Marketview-Northland
  • *Route 284 Prince St/N Goodman-Portland
  • *Route 285 Prince St/Joseph-Hudson
  • *Route 287 Prince St/St. Paul-N Clinton
  • *Route 289 Prince St/Park Ave
  • Edison Tech/All City HS Colfax Street
  • *Route 350 Colfax St/Maplewood-Charlotte
  • *Route 351 Colfax St/19th Ward SE
  • *Route 352 Colfax St/Maplewood-Dewey
  • *Route 353 Colfax St/Edgerton
  • *Route 354 Colfax St/Dutchtown
  • *Route 355 Colfax St/19th Ward NW
  • *Route 356 Colfax St/Beechwood
  • *Route 357 Colfax St/Mayor's Heights-Plymouth
  • *Route 358 Colfax St/N Marketview-Homestead
  • *Route 359 Colfax St/St. Paul-N Clinton
  • *Route 360 Colfax St/Genesee
  • *Route 361 Colfax St/Joseph-Hudson
  • *Route 362 Colfax St/N Winton Village
  • *Route 363 Colfax St/Northland-Lyceum
  • *Route 364 Colfax St/Portland
  • *Route 367 Colfax St/N Goodman
  • *Route 368 Colfax St/City SE
  • Franklin Campus Norton Street
  • *Route 420 Norton St/Genesee
  • *Route 422 Norton St/Dutchtown
  • *Route 423 Norton St/Lyell-Otis
  • *Route 425 Norton St/19th Ward SE
  • *Route 426 Norton St/Edgerton
  • *Route 427 Norton St/Mayor's Heights-Plymouth
  • *Route 428 Norton St/Northland-Lyceum
  • *Route 429 Norton St/N Marketview-Beechwood
  • *Route 430 Norton St/N Goodman
  • *Route 431 Norton St/St Paul
  • *Route 433 Norton St/19th Ward NW
  • *Route 434 Norton St/N Winton Village
  • *Route 436 Norton St/City SE
  • *Route 437 Norton St/N Clinton
  • *Route 438 Norton St/Maplewood-Charlotte
  • *Route 439 Norton St/Maplewood-Dewey
  • Wilson Magnet Commencement High School Genesee Street
  • *Route 440 Genesee St/Maplewood-Charlotte
  • *Route 441 Genesee St/Dutchtown-19th Ward NW
  • *Route 442 Genesee St/St Paul-N Clinton
  • *Route 443 Genesee St/Joseph-Hudson
  • *Route 445 Genesee St/N Winton Village-Beechwood
  • *Route 446 Genesee St/Lyell-Otis-Edgerton
  • *Route 447 Genesee St/City SE
  • *Route 448 Genesee St/Maplewood-Dewey
  • *Route 450 Genesee St/N Goodman-Portland
  • *Route 451 Genesee St/N Marketview-Northland
  • Northeast Sr HS/Northwest Jr HS Fernwood Park
  • *Route 630 Fernwood Pk/Edgerton
  • *Route 631 Fernwood Pk/Maplewood
  • *Route 632 Fernwood Pk/Genesee
  • *Route 633 Fernwood Pk/Lyell-Otis-Dutchtown
  • *Route 634 Fernwood Pk/19th Ward SE
  • *Route 635 Fernwood Pk/Plymouth-Jefferson-19th Ward NW
  • *Route 636 Fernwood Pk/N Winton Village-Beechwood
  • *Route 637 Fernwood Pk/N Goodman-Portland
  • *Route 638 Fernwood Pk/Hudson
  • *Route 640 Fernwood Pk/St Paul-N Clinton
  • *Route 641 Fernwood Pk/Joseph
  • *Route 642 Fernwood Pk/City SE
  • Monroe HS Alexander Street
  • *Route 751 Alexander St/Maplewood-Charlotte
  • *Route 752 Alexander St/Maplewood-Dewey
  • *Route 753 Alexander St/19th Ward NW-Plymouth-City SE
  • *Route 757 Alexander St/Dutchtown
  • *Route 758 Alexander St/Genesee19th Ward SE
  • *Route 759 Alexander St/Lyell-Otis-Edgerton
  • *Route 760 Alexander St/N Goodman-Portland
  • *Route 761 Alexander St/Hudson
  • *Route 762 Alexander St/St Paul
  • *Route 763 Alexander St/Northland-Lyceum
  • *Route 764 Alexander St/N Clinton
  • *Route 765 Alexander St/N Winton Village-Beechwood-Cobbs Hill
  • *Route 768 Alexander St/Joseph
  • Leadership Academy Lake Avenue
  • *Route 773 Lake Ave/N Goodman-Northland-Portland
  • *Route 775 Lake Ave/Joseph-Hudson
  • *Route 776 Lake Ave/St Paul-N Clinton
  • *Route 778 Lake Ave/Maplewood-Dewey
  • *Route 779 Lake Ave/Edgerton
  • *Route 780 Lake Ave/Lyell-Otis-Dutchtown
  • *Route 781 Lake Ave/N Winton Village-N Marketview-Beechwood
  • *Route 783 Lake Ave/Genesee-19th Ward SE
  • *Route 784 Lake Ave/19th Ward NW-Plymouth
  • *Route 785 Lake Ave/City SE
RTS On Demand:
  • Brockport On Demand Zone
  • Greece On Demand Zone
  • Henrietta On Demand Zone
  • Irondequoit On Demand Zone
  • Lexington On Demand Zone
  • Pittsford/Eastview On Demand Zone
  • Webster On Demand Zone

Routes outside Monroe County

Former Routes in Monroe County

  • Route 1 Park Ave/Lake Ave
  • Route 2 Thurston Rd/Parsells Ave
  • Route 2 Thurston Rd
  • Route 3 Goodman/Lyell Ave
  • Route 4 Hudson Ave/Genesee St
  • Route 5 South Ave/St. Paul Blvd
  • Route 6 Jefferson Ave/Clifford Ave
  • Route 7 Monroe Ave/Clinton
  • Route 8 Chili/Strong/East Main
  • Route 9 Jay/Maple/Bay/Webster
  • Route 10 Portland/Dewey Ave
  • Route 11 South Clinton/Goodman/Joseph Avenue
  • Route 12 19th Ward/MCC
  • Route 17 East Ave
  • Route 18 University Ave
  • Route 20 Brockport
  • Route 21 Fairport
  • Route 22 Penfield
  • Route 25 Rochester Works Shuttle
  • Route 26 Henrietta Loop
  • Route 27 Unity
  • Route 28 RIT Main Campus Clockwise Weekdays
  • Route 28 RIT Weekdays
  • Route 29 RIT Main Campus Counterclockwise Weekdays
  • Route 29 RIT Main Campus Weekdays
  • Route 30 Webster/Xerox via Empire/Creek
  • Route 31 RIT Inn/Racquet Club
  • Route 32 RIT Movie/Mall Route
  • Route 33 RIT Weekends
  • Route 34 RIT Holiday/Winter Break
  • Route 34 RIT Summer 2008
  • Route 35 Webster/Xerox via Creek/Klem
  • Route 40 Webster/Xerox
  • Route 44 Greece/Ferry
  • Route 45 Webster/Xerox via Irondequoit Mall
  • Route 50 MCC
  • Route 52 Park Ave to URMC
  • Route 68 RIT Henrietta
  • Route 70 University of Rochester
  • Route 71 University of Rochester
  • Route 72 University of Rochester
  • Route 73 University of Rochester
  • Route 74 University of Rochester
  • Route 75 University of Rochester
  • Route 76 Gates/Ogden/Chili
  • Route 91 Avon
  • Route 95 N Chili/Westside Dr/Churchville/Bergen/LeRoy
  • Route 96 Hilton/Hamlin/Clarkson
  • Route 102 Concerts by the Shore
  • Route 104 Wegmans Rochester LPGA
  • Route 105 July 4 Celebration 2003
  • Route 118 Buffalo Bills Sports Shuttle
  • Route 119 SU Orangemen Sports Shuttle
  • Route 166 Geneseo
  • Route 177 Nazareth College

Prior to May 17, 2021

  • Route 1 Lake
  • Route 3G /3W Lyell
  • Route 4 Genesee
  • Route 6 Jefferson
  • Route 8 Chili
  • Route 9J/9M Jay/Maple
  • Route 10 Dewey
  • Route 13 Edison
  • Route 14 Ridge Road
  • Route 15 Latta
  • Route 16 Crosstown
  • Route 19 S. Plymouth Ave
  • Route 23 Jefferson Road
  • Route 24 Marketplace Mall/RIT
  • Route 25 Thurston
  • Route 28 Genesee Park Blvd./Strong
  • Route 31 Park
  • Route 33 N. Goodman
  • Route 34 Hudson
  • Route 35 St. Paul
  • Route 36 Clifford
  • Route 37 N. Clinton
  • Route 38 East Main
  • Route 39 Bay/Webster
  • Route 40 Portland
  • Route 41 Joseph
  • Route 42 Parsells
  • Route 45 South
  • Route 47 Monroe
  • Route 48 University
  • Route 51 S. Clinton
  • Route 53 S. Goodman St
  • Route 55 MCC Brighton
  • Route 57 East
  • Route 81 Fairport
  • Route 82 Penfield
  • Route 83 Calkins Rd
  • Route 84 Perinton/Bushnell's Basin/Eastview Mall
  • Route 101 Avon/Rush Park & Ride
  • Route 102 Newark/Lyons
  • Route 103 Webster
  • Route 104 Brockport
  • Route 106 Hilton/Hamlin/Clarkson
  • Route 124 Marketplace Mall ROC-it
  • Route 134 Hudson ROC-it
  • Route 145 South ROC-it
  • Route 150 Dewey ROC-it
  • Route 163 Lyell ROC-it
  • Neighborhood Direct Service
  • * Route 650 Humboldt St/Maplewood
  • * Route 651 Humboldt St/Genesee-19th Ward SE
  • * Route 652 Humboldt St/Lyell-Otis-Edgerton
  • * Route 653 Humboldt St/PlymouthJefferson-19th Ward NW
  • * Route 654 Humboldt St/Hudson-Northland-Portland
  • * Route 655 Humboldt St/N Winton Village-N Marketview
  • * Route 656 Humboldt St/St Paul-N Clinton-Joseph
  • * Route 657 Humboldt St/City SE
  • Route TE3 Tiger East End Express
  • RIT Park Avenue Friday Nights

Other subsidiaries

  • RTS Genesee serves Genesee County with local bus service in the city of Batavia, commuter service to and from Le Roy, and once-weekly dial-a-ride service to many of the smaller outlying communities of Wyoming County. Also of note, the RTS Genesee is the oldest of the smaller subsidiaries of the RGRTA network.
  • RTS Livingston serves Livingston County with several routes connecting with the county seat of Geneseo and to sites in/near Rochester. It also operates a local bus service in Geneseo and special service for students at SUNY Geneseo. One line connects to RTS Wayne buses in Perry.
  • RTS Wayne serves Wayne County with several loop routes based around the county seat of Lyons and the town of Sodus. Then WATS joined the RGRTA as a subsidiary in 1980. A shuttle service also connects with Regional Transit Service buses during commuting hours in Lyons.
  • RTS Wyoming serves Wyoming County, running three loops connecting towns in the community to the county seat of Warsaw. A local loop bus service is also offered to passengers weekdays in the Village of Warsaw.
  • RTS Ontario serves Ontario County with a focus on Canandaigua and Geneva.
  • RTS Orleans serves Orleans County with a focus on the larger villages of Albion and Medina with one line connecting to the RTS Genesee subsidiary in Batavia, and special service for students at SUNY Brockport.
  • RTS Seneca serves Seneca County with a focus on Geneva, Seneca Falls, and Waterloo. Additional service also operates on a less frequent schedule as far south as Interlaken and Lodi.
  • RTS Access
  • RGRTA Maritime Development Corporation
  • Genesee Transportation Service Council Staff, Inc.
On August 19, 2014, RGRTA announced a rebranding of all their bus lines in the surrounding counties under their control to be named RTS, with the county name following, as shown above, rather than independent names. The changes were officially implemented immediately with equipment and uniforms changing as they are phased in.

Facilities

In 2014, the authority opened a $50 million RTS transit center in downtown Rochester, replacing the former bus station that was part of Midtown Plaza. The center has 30 bays capable of handling up to 100 buses per hour.