Short Line (bus company)

Short Line is a brand name for three different Coach USA companies, Hudson Transit Lines, Hudson Transit Corporation, and Chenango Valley Bus Lines that provide local, commuter and intercity bus service in lower New York State, primarily along the Route 17 and Southern Tier corridor. Coach USA acquired the companies in 1998.
In June 2024, Coach USA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming corporate impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has plans to sell its assets, and plans to sell its Megabus subsidiaries to Bus Company Holdings, a unit of the Renco Group.

Service types

Short Line's service can be defined in several categories:
Image:TransitOrange Coach USA ShortLine Gillig Phantom 70492.jpg|thumb|left|alt=TransitOrange bus|The Main Line route, operated with TransitOrange buses

Local bus service

Short Line, under contract to Orange County, provides local bus service along the former Erie Main Line corridor along Route 17M. ShortLine also owns local routes traveling along Routes 17K and 32 in Orange County, as well as local routes traveling onward from Middletown onward to Route 209, and to other towns along Route 17.

Commuter bus service

Within the New York metropolitan area, ShortLine operates commuter services along the Route 17 corridor, Interstate 84, Routes 208 and 32, and Rockland and Bergen counties to New York City.
In addition, under contract to the New York State Department of Transportation and Rockland County Department of Public Transportation, ShortLine provides commuter bus service from Orange and Rockland Counties to White Plains and Tarrytown.

Intercity bus service

Within and beyond the New York metropolitan area, ShortLine provides scheduled service to and from Long Island to the Southern Tier and service to and from major colleges and universities in the region, such as Cornell University, SUNY Alfred, Binghamton University, Ithaca College, and SUNY Albany, and intermediate points. The central hub for all of these routes is Binghamton, via Routes X178 and 495.

Route detail

Short Line provides service along 29 routes. Details are listed below for the full route only. Some schedules may serve only portions of the line, skip some stops, or may service multiple routes.
Unless noted, all service is provided using Coach USA-branded vehicles.

Bergen, Rockland, and Westchester County routes

Orange, Dutchess, Ulster and Pike County routes

These routes service the outer regions of the New York metropolitan area.

Route	Terminal A	Via	Terminal B	Notes
Main Line Trolley	Middletown	Route 17M	Woodbury Common Premium Outlets	Route owned by Orange County DOT. Weekend trips extended to Harriman. Service on this line uses TransitOrange vehicles. Does not operate on major holidays.
17M/MD	Middletown	Monroe, Goshen, Chester, Central Valley, Harriman, Tuxedo, Sloatsburg, Suffern	Port Authority Bus Terminal	This route has a number of peak-service and short-turn variants: 17C for service to Chester. 17G for service terminating in Goshen. In addition, most local trips continue to/from 17SF/WY in Bergen County.
XPA84	Honesdale	Honesdale, Port Jervis, Middletown	Port Authority Bus Terminal	-
X87M	Middletown	Route 17/Thruway Express	Port Authority Bus Terminal	Rush-hour only nonstop service.
700	Newburgh	Thruway Express	Port Authority Bus Terminal	Rush-hour only nonstop service.
700	Newburgh	Cornwall, West Point, Stony Point, Haverstraw, Suffern, Bergen County	Port Authority Bus Terminal
700	Newburgh	Woodbury Common	Port Authority Bus Terminal
208-GWB Eastside Commuter	Montgomery	Washingtonville, Monroe, Central Valley	New YorkGeorge Washington Bridge, Harlem, and East Side	Route owned by the New York State DOT. Does not serve Port Authority Bus Terminal. Peak service only.
209	Kerhonkson	Ellenville, Wurtsboro, Middletown, Monroe	Port Authority Bus Terminal	Weekday peak service only
287	Middletown	Goshen, Monroe, Central Valley	White Plains Platinum Mile	Route owned by the New York State DOT; fare is between $4.00 and $5.55 depending on distance. Peak service only; alternate service available on Route 495.
L-9	Newburgh	Cornwall, West Point, Highland Falls, Bear Mountain, Suffern	Port Authority Bus Terminal
L-211	Newburgh	Routes 17K and 211	Middletown	Local Orange County service

Beyond the New York metro area

These routes run primarily from the New York Metro area to points in the Southern Tier, or service the Southern Tier of New York State exclusively.

Route	Terminal A	Via	Terminal B	Notes
52	Monticello	South Fallsburg, Woodbourne, Sullivan County Community College	Liberty
56	Monticello	Monticello Gaming & Raceway, White Lake, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts	Villa Roma	Operates mid-May thru mid-October. No service Sunday & Monday. Special Concert Excursions to Bethel Woods from New York City and other points available.
79	Alfred State College	Elmira, Corning	Binghamton	Friday and Sunday only Sold on megabus.com
L178	Monticello	Wurtsboro, Middletown	Port Authority Bus Terminal
X178	Ithaca Cornell University	Binghamton	Port Authority Bus Terminal	Sold on megabus.com
179	Binghamton	Deposit, Hancock, Roscoe, Liberty, Monticello Gaming & Raceway	Monticello

Incidents

On June 12, 2017, in New York City, a Hudson Transit Lines bus was involved in a crash in which driver Dave Lewis ran over and killed bicyclist Dan Hanegby, an Israeli-American athlete and cycling enthusiast. The bus driver was arrested due to this incident, on a misdemeanor charge.