Bus & Paratransit

Why take the bus?

The bus is a community-friendly, "green," and relatively low-cost way to get around--while you chat, read or just relax. Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT), our local public transit provider, now has six hybrid electric diesel buses, and provided a record 3.35 million rides last year. They've also opened the new Green Street Station that includes restrooms and a gimme! coffee cafe.

Bus fares, passes, discounts & sales

If you're having trouble affording rides to work or to look for work, you may qualify for discounted bus passes through Working Adults Transportation Assistance.

Standard bus fare is $1.50 a trip within Tompkins County, and TCAT offers half price discounts to youth ages 6-17, people aged 60 or over, and people with disability. TCAT also offers semester passes for youth. Kids under age 6 ride for free.

TCAT has new routes!

TCAT stops at the local airport, hospital and post office; local schools and colleges; major shopping centers, parks and attractions; key spots in outlying towns, and many more places. For information on bus routes that cross county lines, see Regional Buses and Trains.

For information on TCAT's new routes, see their website, their list of popular destinations, or call TCAT at 607-277-7433 or 607-277-RIDE. For TDD, dial 607-277-9766.

If you have a disability that makes it difficult or impossible to use the bus, you may call TCAT's ADA Paratransit Coordinator at 607-277-9388, or contact the Finger Lakes Independence Center for more information and support at 607-272-2433. 

Paying for the bus and the new T-Card

To ride the bus, you can pay with cash, or use the new T-Card. T-Cards are plastic cards you can buy pre-loaded with the number of rides, number of days, or kind of pass you want. Then, simply swipe the card when boarding the bus. If you're still using a paper, pass it can be traded in for a T-Card.

T-Cards can be purchased online, at TCAT headquarters, at the Green Street Station, many other locations around town. Use your pass until it runs our, then drop it in the farebox--TCAT will recycle if for you.

You'll also be able to recharge your card online at tcatbus.com, at bus stop kiosks, or by calling TCAT at 277-RIDE. You'll also be able to pay using a low-cost key fob or sticker attached to your key chain, phone or any flat surface.

Boarding the bus

Riders should wait for other passengers to exit before boarding. If needed, you can use the lift or have the bus 'kneel' (go lower down) to help you board the bus.

Waving down or flagging the bus

The bus can stop for you on any safe corner in the City or along a rural roadway. This does not include Cornell's campus, where the bus stops at designated stops only.

Riding with Kids

Children under six years old can ride for free and must be accompanied by a responsible adult (up to three children per adult). Youth aged 6-17years have discounted fare, see information at the top of this page.

Carry-ons, Strollers, Walkers & Carts

All of the above are allowed on the bus, as long as they do not block the aisle, and they are stowed in a way so that if the bus driver has to stop quickly, they do not fly forward.

A good rule of thumb is to ride the bus with only what you can carry on and off thebus in one trip. This will keep the bus moving and help all riders have enough space.

Last Updated: May 22, 2012