Press Release

Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Federal Investment for Dutchess County –$220k Will Pave the Way for Tech Improvements to Bus Fare System

Jul 23, 2012

Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that $220,000 in federal funding was awarded to Dutchess County through the Department of Transportation State of Good Repair Program. Dutchess County will modernize its fareboxes to enable passengers to purchase tickets onboard, facilitate data collection for federal and state transit reporting, and allow the transit system to maintain the fareboxes in good working order for the full lifetime of the equipment.

“With new fare boxes, the faster you get on the bus, the faster you’ll get off,” said Schumer. “By installing new fare boxes, commuters throughout Dutchess County will see reduced delays as they work, shop and travel throughout the region. What’s more, this new technology is just the first in a series of upgrades Dutchess County is making to bring residents state of the art, more efficient fleets.”

“This is an important investment for Dutchess County’s public transit,” Senator Gillibrand said. “A bus fleet with updated fare technology will help keep buses moving on time, connect commuters and businesses faster, and help keep our economy on the move.”      

Improving and maintaining America’s buses and bus facilities in a good physical condition so that they can successfully accomplish their performance objectives is a key strategic goal of DOT and FTA. As part of the State of Good Repair program, FTA will prioritize the replacement and rehabilitation of intermodal facilities that support the connection of bus service with multiple modes of transportation, including but not limited to: rail, ferry, intercity bus and private transportation providers. In order to be eligible for funding, intermodal facilities must have adjacent connectivity with bus service. In addition, FTA will prioritize funding for the development and implementation of new, or improvement of existing, transit asset management systems. Public transportation asset management means a strategic and systematic process of operating, maintaining, and improving physical assets with a focus on both engineering and economic analysis to identify a structured sequence of maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, and replacement actions that will achieve and sustain a desired state of good repair over the lifecycle of the assets at minimum possible cost.