By Rebecca Martin
ACTION UPDATE: On August 27, the Ulster County Transit Riders and Intermodal Advisory Committee (TRIAC) recommended steps to reduce service disruption and rider hardship caused by the closure of the Kingston Plaza bus hub. To maintain access and convenience for UCAT riders, they propose allowing buses to pick up and drop off passengers anywhere along routes within the City of Kingston using a flag system. They also recommend redirecting routes that previously ended at Kingston Plaza to either Westbrook Lane and Clinton Avenue or Fair Street and Schwenk Drive. Additionally, intersections where at least three bus routes meet should be designated as official stops. These temporary measures aim to ensure continuity of service, allow for rider feedback, and support data collection to inform the Route Optimization Plan (ROP). TRIAC emphasizes that no major changes to UCAT routes or schedules should occur until they are thoroughly evaluated and approved through the ROP’s formal public planning process.
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Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT) is preparing to make significant changes to its bus routes and schedules on September 15 (pushed back from the original date of September 10). These changes include the relocation of the central bus hub from Kingston Plaza to Development Court in the Town of Ulster. But before these changes go into effect, the public deserves some answers.
Kingston Plaza has been a key transfer hub – centrally located and well connected to neighborhoods, businesses, and other transit routes. Replacing it without a clear, accessible alternative that has been publicly vetted raises serious concerns. Development Court, the new proposed location, is difficult to reach on foot and lacks safe access for cyclists, making it effectively car-dependent. Riders might also be required to pass through a Sheriff’s Department screening and use restrooms inside the Department of Social Services building.
According to advocates, Ulster County says the move is purely practical – county owned and large enough – but the implications matter. Transit infrastructure should reflect dignity, access and equity. Public transportation needs to remove barriers, not create new ones.
Here’s the central question: Was there ever a formal agreement – an MOU, lease, or other document – between the County and Kingston Plaza allowing UCAT to operate a hub there? If so, what were the terms, and why did they end? If not, how was the location justified and sustained for so long? The County Executive’s press release made no mention of this loss, leaving riders and the public in the dark.
More importantly, whatever arrangement supported the original hub should inform its replacement. Was the Kingston Plaza hub selected because of proximity to services, foot traffic, or centrality? Those criteria still matter – and Development Court likely fails on most of them. It’s isolated, lacks walkability, and does not serve as a natural transfer point for riders moving through Kingston.
The County already owns property within the City of Kingston that could serve as more appropriate locations for a transit hub – including surface lots at the County Office Building uptown and the Midtown medical building. These sites could be reconfigured to support transfers and even include parking solutions. Public properties like 25 Field Court – located next to the Midtown Linear Park – also deserve serious consideration, especially since moving the hub away from Kingston Plaza would cut off transit access to the trail. That trail was promoted as a key part of broader efforts to reconnect Midtown after decades of disinvestment, urban renewal, and the construction of Route 587. Dietz Stadium is another strong option – directly across from Trailways and close enough to Kingston Plaza to preserve current route patterns. Academy Green, while more limited in access, could function as a smaller satellite hub for uptown, which is also facing service cuts. And if public funds are already going toward the Kingstonian parking garage, why not leverage that facility to provide covered, centrally located transit access? Whatever site is ultimately selected, it must be publicly owned and backed by a formal agreement. Relying on informal or “de facto” hubs on private property leaves riders vulnerable to abrupt changes—as we’re seeing now.
The process behind these changes is also troubling. The County’s Route Optimization Planning effort is still underway, and the public was told that any major route revisions would follow scenario vetting, community feedback, and field testing. These steps have not yet happened. So why is a new schedule being launched now?
Other issues persist in the proposed changes. Some neighborhoods that lost service during the Citibus-UCAT merger in 2019 – such as Wilbur, Clifton Avenue, and the Avenues – remain underserved today. Expanded service within the City of Kingston has been discussed since 2017, and more frequent routes were promised during the merger process, but many areas still lack adequate coverage. Significant gaps in midday and evening service make transit unreliable for workers and students. On-request stops require riders to call dispatch – a system that doesn’t work well for those without phones, with limited reception, or when dispatch isn’t available to answer. Fixed-route coverage remains weak in parts of the county like Milton and Marlborough, and some routes still operate in only one direction – resulting in long, inefficient trips. Finally, it’s unclear what happens to service on weekends. Will Kingston Plaza continue to function as a hub on Saturdays and Sundays? If so, weekday riders are being forced into a less functional system than weekend users
This is not the time to push through half-complete changes. The County should pause the route overhaul and focus solely on re-establishing a viable, accessible hub within the City of Kingston. No other service changes should proceed until the public process is complete and riders have a clear, centralized place to connect.
Public transportation should be simple, intuitive, and equitable. It’s not charity, and it’s not just for those without other options. Yet too often in our area, we treat transit like a social safety net rather than the essential public good that it is: something that benefits everyone.
People with cars have a certain kind of privilege – access to flexible schedules, faster commutes, and more freedom of movement. A strong transit system helps level the playing field by offering real mobility to all, regardless of age, income, or ability. That means investing in a service – not cutting it, and not making it more complicated.
Transit is not just about buses and routes – it’s about access, dignity and connection. Before we redraw the map, we need to answer the public’s questions, respect the planning process that’s already underway, and make sure the system is improving – not unraveling.
Riders deserve more than a detour. They deserve a say.
