KINGSTON, N.Y. — Ulster County legislators are considering funding bus stewards positions in the wake of reported rider aggression and bad behavior.
Legislators have said the increase in those reports has come at a time when ridership has been soaring after lawmakers decided to allow for free bus rides on Ulster County Area Transit systems in December 2022.
The push for bus stewards is being led by Ulster County Legislator Chris Hewitt, D-Rochester. His proposal calls for a budget amendment that would allow the hiring of three bus stewards at $43,786 each.
The proposal calls for the stewards to be watchdogs for bad behavior, provide bus scheduling information, clean and sanitize buses, and provide other assistance to riders leaving drivers to focus on driving.
The idea has been met with preliminary support with discussions likely set for a Dec. 10 Ways and Means Committee meeting.
Legislator Kathy Nolan, D-Shandaken, said during a Nov. 21 committee meeting that the measure would also help in UCAT’s ongoing search for bus drivers.
“This would level the playing field,” Nolan said. “I expect this to be very, very helpful.”
Legislator Joseph Maloney, D-Saugerties, said complaints about bad behavior are getting more frequent since the free fare policy was put in place.
“I have had a lot of complaints, drinking, smoking, urinating, I get some pretty intense complaints now that ridership is up,” Maloney said. “Sadly, I think we need to do something.”
Legislator Jason Kovacs, R-town of Ulster, suggested that the bus stewards might play an enforcement role, while others hinted at the possibility that stewards wear uniforms as a deterrent to bad behavior.
“They may not only be able to help the riders but they may be involved in some sort of enforcement,” Kovacs said.
In July, officials reported that ridership on UCAT buses had soared in the first six months of this year as compared to the same period in the previous two years.
The ridership numbers show the most dramatic increase from six months into 2022, compared to the same period in 2024.
In August 2022, the Ulster County Legislature decided to make travel on UCAT buses free. Before the free bus ride policy was put in place, ridership numbers were 132,753 between January and June 2022.
In that same period in 2024, ridership was at 251,573 or 118,820 more riders than in the first six months of 2022, an 89.5% increase. The 2024 ridership numbers are on pace to dwarf the total for all of 2022, which totaled 296,257.
The 2024 six-month period ridership numbers are also much higher than the first six months of 2023, which were 193,236. The increase in ridership from last year was 58,337, or 30.2% more.
In all of 2023, UCAT statistics show 436,026 free rides were given on UCAT buses, or 139,769 more than the 296,257 rides recorded in 2022, a 47.2% increase.
On Aug. 17, 2022, the Ulster County Legislature, controlled by Democrats, voted 16-7 to offer the bus at no cost for riders. All Republicans voted against the measure.