In Addition To Demonstrating The App, The County Executive Also Unveiled Plans For A Kiosk Pilot Program To Make This Technology Available For All  And Additionally Announced A New Bus Route From Kingston To The Metro-North Train Station In Poughkeepsie

New Paltz, N.Y. — The more than 431,000 annual Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT) riders now have an exciting new smartphone app available which tells them exactly where their bus is and when it will be arriving.  Ulster County Executive Mike Hein today unveiled and demonstrated the UCAT Bus app in front of students and other community members at SUNY New Paltz.  The new app utilizes GPS technology to track each bus on all of UCAT’s 14 fixed bus routes, provides the user with a map showing the current location of a bus, an arrival time for each upcoming stop, and gives turn by turn voice directions to the closest available bus stop.   

“This app is an exciting new tool for our residents because of the amount of useful information it provides, and we are proud to be the first county in the Hudson Valley to offer this type of technology to our riders,” said County Executive Mike Hein.  “Whether it is someone waiting for the bus to take them to work, a shopper using the Mall Loop or a new SUNY New Paltz student in need of transportation, this app will help.  It will even send text messages to riders to alert them when the bus is five or ten minutes away.  We are also in the midst of a pilot program to install kiosks in strategic locations so that this convenience and technology will be available to everyone, regardless if they have a smartphone or not.”

“In addition to the new app, we are pleased to announce a new bus route from the Kingston Plaza to the Metro-North train station in Poughkeepsie to service our commuters and visitors,” continued the County Executive.  “Starting October 1, this route will travel the 9W corridor seven times each weekday.  This direct route will connect Ulster County even further with the tens of millions of people in the New York metropolitan area, making all the County has to offer a quick, convenient trip upstate.”

Robert DiBella, Director, Ulster County Area Transit

“Under the leadership of County Executive Hein, UCAT has seen its ridership grow exponentially over the past few years,” said Robert DiBella, Director of Ulster County Area Transit.  “We have fine-tuned our routes to better serve the public, undertaken a capital project to replace aging buses with smaller, more environmentally friendly and efficient buses, and our entire bus fleet has been converted to biodiesel.  This new smartphone app is another example of the County Executive ‘Building A Better Ulster County’ and improving the quality of life for thousands of Ulster County residents.”  

Dr. Donald Christian, President of SUNY New Paltz

“UCAT is a significant asset for the county and our college community,” said SUNY New Paltz President Donald P. Christian.  “With the new mobile app, students can quickly receive information on bus schedules and routes, and real-time updates on arrivals.  Our Student Association recognized the value of this important public service and previously worked with local and county officials to expand service on the weekends, a peak time for student-use.  Today’s announcement continues the focus on community needs.  We appreciate County Executive Mike Hein and his team’s initiative to enhance our students’ experience in Ulster County.”

The app is available free of charge for either Apple or Android operating systems by visiting the Apple App Store or Google Play and searching ‘UCAT’.

UCAT operates 27 buses which traverse Ulster County, an area that is geographically the size of Rhode Island, drives over 994,000 revenue miles per year and boasts an on time rate of 93%.  In 2014 its annual ridership was over 431,000 passengers, which represents more than a 79% increase since 2008.

Pictured above:  (Hector Rodriguez - Ulster County Legislature, Dr. Donald Christian - President of SUNY New Paltz, Paul Brown - Chair of the SUNY New Paltz Student Senate, Ulster County Executive Mike Hein, Kelsey Ryan – Executive Vice President of the SUNY New Paltz Student Association, Susan Zimet – Town of New Paltz Supervisor, Tim Rogers – Village of New Paltz Mayor)

Pictured below:  County Executive Mike Hein / Screenshot of new UCAT smartphone app