Commenced operation | 2018 |
---|---|
Locale | Hudson Valley |
Service area | Rockland and Westchester Counties |
Service type | Commuter bus service |
Routes | 6 |
Stops | 18 [1] |
Hubs | Palisades Center |
Fleet | 31 Prévost X3-45 |
Daily ridership | 41,355 (August 2019) [2] |
Operator | Transdev |
Website | www |
Hudson Link is a bus service operating between several locations in Rockland County and Westchester County, in New York. It replaced the former Tappan Zee Express bus, which ran between White Plains, Tarrytown, and Suffern. The bus is operated by Transdev under contract to the New York State Department of Transportation.
Hudson Link was developed to help relieve the traffic conditions on travel between Rockland & Westchester Counties, as well as plan for future population growth. The initial plan by the Mass Transit Task Force was published in 2014 when the Tappan Zee Bridge was going to be replaced. The initial plan consisted seven services, provide intercounty and intracounty service to Rockland and Westchester Counties, and the New York City borough of The Bronx. [3] All these routes would operate along dedicated bus lane segments, with Traffic Signal Priority:
The initial plans were changed as a result of Rockland residents complaining about the loss of direct access to Tarrytown. Although residents were told that service to White Plains would result in a faster trip on the combined Hudson Link/Metro North connection to New York City, many did not believe that was possible because White Plains is seven miles from Tarrytown, and the buses would operate along heavy I-287 traffic during the rush hours. [4] That consequently set up complaints from Tarrytown residents about too many buses running in the neighborhood. One of the major changes was that four routes (and one express variant) would make up the system, instead of the seven proposed. The proposed red service was truncated to Palisades Center as a shuttle (which is the current H01 service). Nyack got two daily bus routes heading towards Tarrytown and White Plains.
The other proposed routes from the 2014 study have become future provisions of the network, which will be expanded on "as ridership warrants". [5] There are some initiative to roll out the White Plains-Port Chester service (proposed Platinum route), but no implementation schedule is set for that, or the other future provisions. [6]
Services started in October 2018.
The fare for a single ride is $2.75, which can be in cash on buses or by credit card at machines located at bus stops. A single ride with a transfer is $3.75, which allows for connections (within two hours) to Transport of Rockland, Clarkstown Mini-Trans, or Bee-Line Bus. A special $1.00 fare exists for those using the bus only in Tarrytown, between Elizabeth Street and the Metro North Station. [7]
The Hudson Link bus service uses 31 Prevost X3-45 buses, numbered R801-R831. Buses have free Wi-Fi and USB ports. Buses are also equipped with bike racks. [8] Buses sport the New York State colors, with the Hudson Link and NYSDOT logos on the sides and at the front of the bus. All buses are wheelchair accessible. [9]
Fleet Number(s) | Photo | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R801-R831 [10] | 2018 | Prevost | X3-45 | Volvo D13 | Allison B500 |
|
The Lower Hudson Transit Link operates several routes:
Route | Terminals | Streets Traveled | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
H01 [11] | Suffern Hallett Place & Chestnut St | ↔ AM ↔ PM | West Nyack Palisades Center Commuter Lot J | NYS Route 59, Interstate 287 |
|
H03 [12] | Monsey Main Street & NYS Route 59 | ↔ | White Plains Broadway & Main Street | NYS Route 59, Interstate 287, Tappan Zee Bridge |
|
H05 [13] | West Nyack Palisades Center Commuter Lot J | NYS Route 59, Main Street, South Broadway Interstate 287, Tappan Zee Bridge |
| ||
H07 [14] | Tarrytown Metro North station | NYS Route 59, Main Street, South Broadway, Tappan Zee Bridge, Broadway |
| ||
H07X [15] | → AM ← PM | NYS Route 59, Interstate 287, Tappan Zee Bridge, Broadway | |||
SHTL [16] | ↔ | NYS Route 59, Interstate 287, Tappan Zee Bridge |
|
Westchester County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population of 1,004,456, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 55,344 (5.8%) from the 949,113 counted in 2010. Westchester covers an area of 450 square miles (1,200 km2), consisting of six cities, 19 towns, and 23 villages. Established in 1683, Westchester was named after the city of Chester, England. The county seat is the city of White Plains, while the most populous municipality in the county is the city of Yonkers, with 211,569 residents per the 2020 census. The county is part of the Hudson Valley region of the state.
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