A new partnership between the Capital District Transportation Authority and the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District will provide unlimited ridership for employees of businesses that belong to the BID.
The Downtown Troy BID will become a universal access partner, meaning when employees swipe their CDTA Navigator card through fare boxes, they’ll receive unlimited rides, covered by the BID.
Users will have access to local, express, and commuter transit through the service.
Olivia Clemente, Executive Director of the BID, says plans to implement this the predate her.
“We had the funding for it, like we knew we could afford to do this and then CDTA, for this first year, had stepped up,” Clemente said. “So, they had given a little bit of funds to help us support this.”
Clemente says at launch, she expects 30 businesses to utilize the program.
“The BID needs to be more of a resource for our businesses and we thought this is the first step of being that resource,” Clemente said.
The BID aims to grow downtown Troy’s economy through advocacy and events. The organization wants to improve quality of life and attract tourism, students, shops, and residents.
The non-profit is comprised of more than 250 businesses downtown including restaurants, medical offices, boutiques, and software companies.
CDTA CEO Carm Basile says the Troy initiative is one of more than 50 Universal Access Programs in the Capital Region. Other users include Discover Albany, St. Peter’s Health Partners, Stewart’s Shops, and Amazon’s ALB1 facility in Schodack.
Speaking at a bus stop at the corner of Congress and Fourth Streets in Troy Thursday, Basile says the program is expanding swiftly.
“It's seeding a ridership increase,” Basile said. “We had 20% ridership increase last year so this is well, well mature.”
The annual cost depends on the ridership. According to CDTA’s website, a predetermined price per ride is used and agreements typically include an annual price ceiling.
Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello says she hopes to expand the initiative across the city. The Republican says such partnerships support her vision for a cleaner, greener Troy.
“This is great, and we love our downtown, but we have so many businesses outside that downtown and I talked to Carm [Basile] about a potential partnership with other businesses,” Mantello said. “He said, ‘Carmella, I would totally be open to that.’ So, immediately when I heard that this was happening, a light bulb click clicked and I'm like, OK, Lansingburgh, Eastside, South Troy, we have to get the neighborhoods and other businesses involved.”
Mantello says the program could attract new businesses to the Collar City.
Zachary Coonradt is the Assistant General Manager at the Best Western Plus Franklin Square Inn, a downtown hotel. He says programs like this are largely beneficial and supports efforts to break down barriers to employment.
“More than 80 percent of our employees don't take a car to work,” Coonradt said. “And today's announcement removes that financial burden for many of them, allowing them to get to and from work as they please for free. Reliable transportation is key to employee success and ultimately the success for businesses and by large, our community.”
Businesses in the BID can apply for passes through the BID’s website.
