Broome County Transit, popularly branded as B.C. Transit, is the
public transportation
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
system serving
Broome County, New York
Broome County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 198,683. Its county seat is Binghamton. The county was named for John Broome, the state's lieutenant governor when Br ...
, which includes the city of
Binghamton
Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...
and surrounding communities.
History
B.C. Transit was founded in 1968 when Broome County took over the assets of the private
Triple Cities Traction Corporation, a takeover similar to those that took place in
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
and
Schenectady
Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
years prior. Unlike those city's transit systems, which became part of public benefit corporations, B.C. Transit is still owned and operated by the county (Department of Public Transportation) and is the largest such operator in
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...
(third largest overall in the state).
![Broome Transit logo 1968](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Broome_Transit_logo_1968.svg)
Broome Transit originally used a logo designed by renowned Swiss–Canadian designer
Fritz Gottschalk. At a later date, it rebranded as "B.C. Transit" and adopted the character Thor from the comic strip ''
B.C.'', drawn by
Endicott, New York
Endicott is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 13,392 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is named after Henry B. Endicott, a founding member of the En ...
native
Johnny Hart
John Lewis Hart (February 18, 1931 – April 7, 2007) was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strips '' B.C.'' and ''The Wizard of Id''. Brant Parker co-produced and illustrated ''The Wizard of Id''. Hart was recognized ...
.
About Us , Broome County, NY
The "B.C." is also based (very) loosely on one of the logos from that comic strip as well.
At the time of B.C. Transit's formation, they inherited the token stock of Triple Cities Traction Corporation and that company's predecessor, the Binghamton Railway Company. These same tokens, some dating back to the turn of the 20th century, circulated until B.C. Transit phased out the token at the end of 2005 when they went to electronic fare collection.
Routes and services
City of Binghamton
*3 Park Ave
*5 Vestal Ave
*7 Clinton St
*8 Front St
*9 BU Advantage
*12 Conklin Ave
*15 Leroy St
*17 Johnson City
*28 Robinson St
Other Triple Cities
*35M Endicott (Binghamton to Endicott via Main St)
*35W Endicott (Binghamton to Endicott via Watson Boulevard)
*35x Express (Binghamton to Endicott via Main St But bypasses Oakdale Mall)
*40 Chenango St
*47 Vestal-Endicott
*57 Shoppers Special
Rural
*51 Kirkwood Commuter
*53 Corporate Park
*55 Endwell Shuttle
*59 West Corners Shuttle
15 Leroy turns into the 5 Vestal at the Junction.
*17 Legacy Bay and 47 Vestal
Paratransit and other services
*B.C. Lift: Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ...
mandated service for those who are physically unable to ride regular fixed-route services and live within the B.C. Transit fixed-route area.
*OFA Mini-Bus: Similar to B.C. Lift, but intended for persons age 65 and over, physical disability is not required. Service paid for by Broome County Office for Aging and operated by BC Transit.
*B.C. Country: Dial-a-ride service for those who live in areas of Broome County not served by fixed-route transit service and meet certain other criteria.
Fleet
Current fleet
''(All buses are Wheelchair-accessible )''
*2009 Orion Bus Industries
Orion Bus Industries, also known as Bus Industries of America in the United States, was a private bus manufacturer based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
The company had its main manufacturing plant in Mississauga and sent bus body shells to t ...
07.501 "Next Generation" Hybrid 101-105 (units pending retirement)
*2011 Orion Bus Industries
Orion Bus Industries, also known as Bus Industries of America in the United States, was a private bus manufacturer based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
The company had its main manufacturing plant in Mississauga and sent bus body shells to t ...
07.501 EPA10 "Third Generation" Hybrid 601-606 (units pending retirement)
*2014-2021 Gillig Corporation
Gillig (formerly Gillig Brothers) is an American designer and Bus manufacturing, manufacturer of buses. The company headquarters, along with its manufacturing operations, is located in Livermore, California (in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay ...
Gillig Low Floor 701-707, 721-727, 741-748, 761-767, 781-783
*2018-2021 Gillig Corporation
Gillig (formerly Gillig Brothers) is an American designer and Bus manufacturing, manufacturer of buses. The company headquarters, along with its manufacturing operations, is located in Livermore, California (in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay ...
Gillig Low Floor Hybrid 621-623, 641-642
Future fleet
BC Transit has signed a contract to purchase 6 Novabus
Nova Bus (stylized as NOVABUS) is a Canadian bus manufacturer headquartered in Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada. Nova is owned by the Volvo Group.
The company has roots in the General Motors Diesel Division, which opened in 1979. Nova Bus was est ...
LFSe+ Battery Electric Buses, expected to be in service by 2024.
Past fleet
701-707 GMC TDH-3502 1968 064-080
801-814(I) GMC T6H-4521 1968 114-127
101-106 GMC T8W-603 1979 001-006
201-217 Grumman 40096-6-T 1982 CD094396-CD094412
601-617 Orion 01.508 1987 H6001587-H6001603
900-902 Orion 01.508 1992 N6003097-N6003099
501-515 Orion 05.501 1996 T6032639-T6032653
720 Orion 01.508 997
Year 997 (Roman numerals, CMXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Japan
* 1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first ...
G6001400 Ex-NFTA 720 (built 1986)
729 Orion 01.508 997
Year 997 (Roman numerals, CMXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Japan
* 1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first ...
G6001411 Ex-NFTA 729 (built 1986)
741 Orion 01.508 997
Year 997 (Roman numerals, CMXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Japan
* 1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first ...
G6001426 Ex-NFTA 741 (built 1986)
757 Orion 01.508 997
Year 997 (Roman numerals, CMXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Japan
* 1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first ...
G6001445 Ex-NFTA 757 (built 1986)
801-814(II) Orion 06.501 2000 Y6600213-Y6000237
815-823 Orion 06.501 2000 Y6600213-Y6000237
References
{{reflist
External links
B.C. Transit Homepage
Broome County Transit Orders Six Hybrid Electric Buses
Bus transportation in New York (state)
Binghamton, New York
Transportation in Broome County, New York
Companies based in Binghamton, New York
Paratransit services in the United States