Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority

The RGRTA is guided by a 16-member board of commissioners (one of which is vacant). The management team is headed by CEO Miguel Velazquez, who reports to the board. In 2017, the RGRTA had operating expenses of $116.51 million and a level of staffing of 1,045 people. == History ==

Rochester Railway Company Public transportation in the greater Rochester area can trace its roots back to the streetcar and interurban lines operated by the Rochester Railway Company and later New York State Railways. In 1929, New York State Railways entered receivership, and local interests formed a plan to reorganize the former Rochester Railway. After several years of negotiation, the New York State Public Service Commission approved a reorganization plan in 1937 put together by attorney Howard Woods and his committee of stockholders. Rochester Transit Corporation On August 2, 1938, Rochester Transit Corporation assumed operation of the bus and streetcar operations serving the city. The last streetcar line was converted to bus operation in 1941, though contract operation of the city-owned Rochester Subway continued until 1956 (RTC ended freight operations in the Subway by 1957, transferring the responsibility to the connecting railroads). The company was returned to local control in 1943 when the remaining shares owned by Associated Gas & Electric were bought out. From Private to Public With postwar prosperity came increased use of automobiles and the spread of population out to the suburbs. Rochester Transit Corporation was plagued by labor unrest, and strikes in 1952 and 1965 ground the system to a halt. A dispute over job listings and seniority caused a brief two-day strike in May 1967. With the transit workers contract coming to an end that fall, stalled negotiations led to another strike in November 1967. The work stoppage continued through the holiday season, and with no end in sight, the City of Rochester drew up a plan to condemn and purchase the transit company operations. Over the objections of RTC, the strike came to an end on January 25, 1968, and the city contracted with National City Management Company to operate the bus lines as Rochester Transit Service. Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA) was formed in 1968 by a state act of government which also formed three similar agencies in Syracuse, Buffalo, the Capital District around Albany and New York City. The RGRTA took over the former RTC bus operation from the City of Rochester and later began expanding bus service to outlying suburban and rural areas. The lines that made up the former RTC service became part of the Regional Transit Service (RTS) in Rochester and Monroe County. == Regional Transit Service ==

The largest subsidiary of the RGRTA, Regional Transit Service (RTS) serves Monroe County (Rochester and its immediate suburbs) as well as providing service to students at Monroe Community College and Rochester Institute of Technology. Students in the Rochester City School District are also served. Suburban and park-and-ride routes serve the outlying towns in Monroe County and surrounding counties of Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne and Wyoming, including service into Avon, Victor, Lyons, and Le Roy. RTS also serves major shopping centers and malls in Monroe County, such as various Walmart locations, Marketplace Mall in Henrietta, Eastview Mall in Victor and The Mall at Greece Ridge in Greece. Bus routes Regional Transit Service operates a number of individual routes, most of which operate on a hub and spoke system from Downtown Rochester. These routes originate at the RTS Transit Center (Pictured Below) at 60 St. Paul Street along Mortimer Street. Prior to November 28, 2014, the opening date of the transit center, routes originated from the corner of Main and Clinton or from Broad Street. The Main and Clinton stops had been in place since 1863. With the move came a change in routes, stops and times including the elimination of through-routing, in which a bus would operate between two or more different routes during scheduled runs. On May 17 2021, the RTS launched Reimagine RTS and the system underwent a complete renumbering and opened new Connection Hubs at highly traveled points of interest, as well as introducing 9 frequent routes running every 15 minutes from 6AM to 6PM on weekdays, although one would later become a local route later that September. These routes would form the RTS Connect network, which is the term to describe the fixed route system. Also introduced that May 17 was RTS On-Demand, an On-Demand rideshare service that allows for a door to door service when booked within a zone. There are seven On-Demand zones in total; Brockport, Greece, Henrietta, Irondequoit, Lexington Ave, Pittsford/Eastview, Webster. All of which have at least one connection hub to at least one RTS Connect route. On September 13 2021, due to the Rochester City School District experiencing a bus driver shortage, RTS reduced frequency on all but one of their frequent routes in order to assist the RCSD with transporting it's students with the drivers they had. Then in January 3 2022, after hiring and training new operators, the 8 East Main and 16 Genesee had their 15 minute frequencies restored. Two years later, on September 3 2024, the 22 Lake also had it's 15 minute frequency between Downtown and West Ridge Road restored. As of April 6 2026, there are 30 routes routes that run within Monroe County, designated as RTS Connect. 24 of them run to the Transit Center in Downtown Rochester. These routes consist of the Following: Notes: Routes with one * indicate that they run every 15 minutes on weekdays from 6AM to 6PM. Routes with two ** indicate that while they normally run every 15 minutes, they are currently running at a reduced frequency due to the RCSD bus driver shortage in 2021. Additionally, there are two routes designated as crosstown routes, one route designated as suburban, one seasonal route, and two commuter routes. All but the 91 do not serve Downtown Rochester. These are: Neighborhood Direct Service • School of the Arts Prince Street • Route 270 Prince St/Maplewood-Charlotte • Route 271 Prince St/Maplewood-Dewey • Route 272 Prince St/Edgerton • Route 273 Prince St/Lyell-Otis • Route 274 Prince St/Dutchtown • Route 275 Prince St/19th Ward NW • Route 276 Prince St/19th Ward SE • Route 277 Prince St/Genesee • Route 278 Prince St/Mayor's Heights-Plymouth • Route 280 Prince St/Highland-Strong • Route 281 Prince St/N Winton Village • Route 283 Prince St/N Marketview-Northland • Route 284 Prince St/N Goodman-Portland • Route 285 Prince St/Joseph-Hudson • Route 287 Prince St/St. Paul-N Clinton • Route 289 Prince St/Park Ave • Edison Tech/All City HS Colfax Street • Route 350 Colfax St/Maplewood-Charlotte • Route 351 Colfax St/19th Ward SE • Route 352 Colfax St/Maplewood-Dewey • Route 353 Colfax St/Edgerton • Route 354 Colfax St/Dutchtown • Route 355 Colfax St/19th Ward NW • Route 356 Colfax St/Beechwood • Route 357 Colfax St/Mayor's Heights-Plymouth • Route 358 Colfax St/N Marketview-Homestead • Route 359 Colfax St/St. Paul-N Clinton • Route 360 Colfax St/Genesee • Route 361 Colfax St/Joseph-Hudson • Route 362 Colfax St/N Winton Village • Route 363 Colfax St/Northland-Lyceum • Route 364 Colfax St/Portland • Route 367 Colfax St/N Goodman • Route 368 Colfax St/City SE • Franklin Campus Norton Street • Route 420 Norton St/Genesee • Route 422 Norton St/Dutchtown • Route 423 Norton St/Lyell-Otis • Route 425 Norton St/19th Ward SE • Route 426 Norton St/Edgerton • Route 427 Norton St/Mayor's Heights-Plymouth • Route 428 Norton St/Northland-Lyceum • Route 429 Norton St/N Marketview-Beechwood • Route 430 Norton St/N Goodman • Route 431 Norton St/St Paul • Route 433 Norton St/19th Ward NW • Route 434 Norton St/N Winton Village • Route 436 Norton St/City SE • Route 437 Norton St/N Clinton • Route 438 Norton St/Maplewood-Charlotte • Route 439 Norton St/Maplewood-Dewey • Wilson Magnet Commencement High School Genesee Street • Route 440 Genesee St/Maplewood-Charlotte • Route 441 Genesee St/Dutchtown-19th Ward NW • Route 442 Genesee St/St Paul-N Clinton • Route 443 Genesee St/Joseph-Hudson • Route 445 Genesee St/N Winton Village-Beechwood • Route 446 Genesee St/Lyell-Otis-Edgerton • Route 447 Genesee St/City SE • Route 448 Genesee St/Maplewood-Dewey • Route 450 Genesee St/N Goodman-Portland • Route 451 Genesee St/N Marketview-Northland • Northeast Sr HS/Northwest Jr HS Fernwood Park • Route 630 Fernwood Pk/Edgerton • Route 631 Fernwood Pk/Maplewood • Route 632 Fernwood Pk/Genesee • Route 633 Fernwood Pk/Lyell-Otis-Dutchtown • Route 634 Fernwood Pk/19th Ward SE • Route 635 Fernwood Pk/Plymouth-Jefferson-19th Ward NW • Route 636 Fernwood Pk/N Winton Village-Beechwood • Route 637 Fernwood Pk/N Goodman-Portland • Route 638 Fernwood Pk/Hudson • Route 640 Fernwood Pk/St Paul-N Clinton • Route 641 Fernwood Pk/Joseph • Route 642 Fernwood Pk/City SE • Monroe HS Alexander Street • Route 751 Alexander St/Maplewood-Charlotte • Route 752 Alexander St/Maplewood-Dewey • Route 753 Alexander St/19th Ward NW-Plymouth-City SE • Route 757 Alexander St/Dutchtown • Route 758 Alexander St/Genesee19th Ward SE • Route 759 Alexander St/Lyell-Otis-Edgerton • Route 760 Alexander St/N Goodman-Portland • Route 761 Alexander St/Hudson • Route 762 Alexander St/St Paul • Route 763 Alexander St/Northland-Lyceum • Route 764 Alexander St/N Clinton • Route 765 Alexander St/N Winton Village-Beechwood-Cobbs Hill • Route 768 Alexander St/Joseph • Leadership Academy Lake Avenue • Route 773 Lake Ave/N Goodman-Northland-Portland • Route 775 Lake Ave/Joseph-Hudson • Route 776 Lake Ave/St Paul-N Clinton • Route 778 Lake Ave/Maplewood-Dewey • Route 779 Lake Ave/Edgerton • Route 780 Lake Ave/Lyell-Otis-Dutchtown • Route 781 Lake Ave/N Winton Village-N Marketview-Beechwood • Route 783 Lake Ave/Genesee-19th Ward SE • Route 784 Lake Ave/19th Ward NW-Plymouth • Route 785 Lake Ave/City SE RTS On Demand: • Brockport On Demand Zone • Greece On Demand Zone • Henrietta On Demand Zone • Irondequoit On Demand Zone • Lexington On Demand Zone • Pittsford/Eastview On Demand Zone • Webster On Demand Zone Routes outside Monroe County • Route 201 Albion (RTS Orleans) • Route 202 Medina (RTS Orleans) • Route 203 Batavia (RTS Orleans) • Route 204 Brockport (RTS Orleans) • Route 205 Albion/Medina (RTS Orleans) • Route 211 City of Batavia (RTS Genesee) • Route 214 Batavia/LeRoy (RTS Genesee) • Route 220 Arcade Shopper Shuttle • Route 221 Village of Warsaw (RTS Wyoming) • Route 222 Warsaw/Batavia (RTS Wyoming) • Route 223 Arcade Commuter (RTS Wyoming) • Route 224 Warsaw to Arcade (RTS Wyoming) • Route 225 Service to SASI (RTS Wyoming) • Route 226 Silver Springs/Castile/Pike (RTS Wyoming) • Route 227 Perry (RTS Wyoming) • Route 228 Wyoming (RTS Wyoming) • Route 229 Attica (RTS Wyoming) • Routes 231 & 232 (RTS Livingston) • Routes 242 & 243 East Livingston County via Mt. Morris (RTS Livingston) • Route 250 Canandaigua North (RTS Ontario) • Route 252 Canandaigua South (RTS Ontario) • Route 253 Canandaigua – Eastview Mall (RTS Ontario) • Route 255 Canandaigua – Geneva (Rts. 21 & 96) (RTS Ontario) • Route 261 Geneva (RTS Ontario) • Routes 281 & 282 Seneca Falls/Waterloo/Geneva (RTS Seneca) • Route 290 Lyons to Canandaigua (RTS Ontario and RTS Wayne) • Route 293 Canandaigua to Lyons (RTS Ontario and RTS Wayne) • Route 296 Lyons to Geneva (RTS Ontario and RTS Wayne) • Routes 302-307 Wayne County (RTS Wayne) • Routes 307B & 308 Lyons to Webster (RTS Wayne) • Route 331 Route 31 Shuttle (RTS Wayne) • Pilot Routes 332 & 333 (RTS Wayne) Former Routes in Monroe County • Route 1 Park Ave/Lake Ave (Split into Route 31 Park Ave and Route 1 Lake Ave on November 28, 2014) • Route 2 Thurston Rd/Parsells Ave (Split into Route 2 Thurston Rd and Route 42 Parsells Ave on November 28, 2014) • Route 3 Goodman/Lyell Ave (Split into Route 33 Goodman and Route 3 Lyell Ave on November 28, 2014) • Route 26 Henrietta Loop (Discontinued in January or April 2006) • Route 27 Unity (Discontinued in January 2010) • Route 28 RIT Main Campus Clockwise Weekdays (Merged into Route 29 when the route was no longer a loop in summer 2004) • Route 28 RIT Weekdays (Created in fall 2006; discontinued in January 2010) • Route 30 Webster/Xerox via Empire/Creek (Merged with Routes 40 and 45 into Route 103 Webster on November 28, 2014) • Route 34 RIT Summer 2008 (Only operated in summer 2008) • Route 35 Webster/Xerox via Creek/Klem (Discontinued in 2005) • Route 52 Park Ave to URMC (Discontinued on September 1, 2014) • Route 68 RIT Henrietta (Discontinued on August 31, 2015) • Route 70 University of Rochester (Discontinued fall 2007) • Route 71 University of Rochester (Discontinued fall 2006) • Route 72 University of Rochester (Discontinued fall 2007) • Route 74 University of Rochester (Discontinued summer 2007) • Route 91 Avon (renumbered Route 101 Avon on November 28, 2014 • Route 104 Wegmans Rochester LPGA (Only operated summer 2003) • Route 119 SU Orangemen Sports Shuttle (Discontinued in early 2005) • Route 166 Geneseo (Discontinued in early 2008) • Route 177 Nazareth College (Discontinued in early 2008) Prior to May 17, 2021 • Route 1 Lake (replaced by Route 22 Lake or RTS On Demand Greece on May 17, 2021) • Route 3G (Park Ridge/Greece Ridge)/3W (Walmart) Lyell (replaced by Route 20 Lyell or 42 Lyell/Upper Falls Crosstown on May 17, 2021) • Route 4 Genesee (replaced by Route 16 Genesee on May 17, 2021) • Route 6 Jefferson (replaced by Route 17 Jefferson/19th Ward on May 17, 2021) • Route 8 Chili (replaced by Route 18 Chili on May 17, 2021) • Route 9J/9M Jay/Maple (replaced by Route 19 Buffalo Road or RTS On Demand Lexington on May 17, 2021) • Route 10 Dewey (replaced by Route 21 Dewey or RTS On Demand Lexington on May 17, 2021) • Route 13 Edison (replaced by RTS On Demand Lexington on May 17, 2021) • Route 14 Ridge Road (replaced by Route 40 Ridge Crosstown or RTS On Demand Greece on May 17, 2021) • Route 15 Latta (replaced by Route 21 Dewey, Route 22 Lake, or RTS On Demand Greece on May 17, 2021) • Route 16 Crosstown (replaced by RTS On Demand Lexington on May 17, 2021) • Route 19 S. Plymouth Ave (replaced by Route 15 Plymouth on May 17, 2021) • Route 23 Jefferson Road (replaced by Route 14 Marketplace, Route 41 Culver/Goodman Crosstown, or RTS On Demand Henrietta on May 17, 2021) • Route 24 Marketplace Mall/RIT (replaced by Route 14 Marketplace or RTS On Demand Henrietta on May 17, 2021) • Route 25 Thurston (replaced by Route 17 Jefferson/19th Ward on May 17, 2021) • Route 28 Genesee Park Blvd./Strong (replaced by Route 17 Jefferson/19th Ward or Route 18 Chili on May 17, 2021) • Route 31 Park (replaced by Route 10 Park or RTS On Demand Pittsford/Eastview on May 17, 2021) • Route 33 N. Goodman (replaced by Route 6 North Goodman or RTS On Demand Irondequoit on May 17, 2021) • Route 34 Hudson (replaced by Route 4 Hudson or RTS On Demand Irondequoit on May 17, 2021) • Route 35 St. Paul (replaced by Route 1 St. Paul or RTS On Demand Irondequoit on May 17, 2021) • Route 36 Clifford (replaced by Route 7 Clifford/Empire or Route 41 Culver/Goodman Crosstown on May 17, 2021) • Route 37 N. Clinton (replaced by Route 2 North Clinton on May 17, 2021) • Route 38 East Main (replaced by Route 8 East Main on May 17, 2021) • Route 39 Bay/Webster (replaced by Route 41 Culver/Goodman Crosstown on May 17, 2021) • Route 40 Portland (replaced by Route 5 Portland, Route 70 Seabreeze Seasonal, or RTS On Demand Irondequoit on May 17, 2021) • Route 41 Joseph (replaced by Route 3 Joseph on May 17, 2021) • Route 42 Parsells (replaced by Route 41 Culver/Goodman Crosstown on May 17, 2021) • Route 45 South (replaced by Route 13 South on May 17, 2021) • Route 47 Monroe (replaced by Route 11 Monroe or RTS On Demand Pittsford/Eastview on May 17, 2021) • Route 48 University (replaced by Route 9 University or Route 97 Elmwood Commuter on May 17, 2021) • Route 51 S. Clinton (replaced by Route 12 South Clinton on May 17, 2021) • Route 53 S. Goodman St (replaced by Route 12 South Clinton or Route 41 Culver/Goodman Crosstown on May 17, 2021) • Route 55 MCC Brighton (replaced by Route 13 South on May 17, 2021) • Route 57 East (replaced by Route 9 University, Route 10 Park, Route 11 Monroe or RTS On Demand Pittsford/Eastview on May 17, 2021) • Route 81 Fairport (replaced by Route 50 Fairport/Penfield on May 17, 2021) • Route 82 Penfield (replaced by Route 50 Fairport/Penfield on May 17, 2021) • Route 83 Calkins Rd (replaced by RTS On Demand Henrietta on May 17, 2021) • Route 84 Perinton/Bushnell's Basin/Eastview Mall (replaced by RTS On Demand Pittsford Eastview or Route 95 Eastview Commuter on May 17, 2021) • Route 101 Avon/Rush Park & Ride (replaced by Route 90 Avon/Rush Commuter on May 17, 2021) • Route 102 Newark/Lyons (replaced by Route 91 Newark/Lyons Commuter on May 17, 2021) • Route 103 Webster (replaced by Route 7 Clifford/Empire, Route 93 Webster Commuter, or RTS On Demand Webster on May 17, 2021) • Route 104 Brockport (replaced by Route 19 Buffalo Road, Route 94 Brockport Commuter, or RTS On Demand Brockport on May 17, 2021) • Route 106 Hilton/Hamlin/Clarkson (replaced by Route 92 Hilton/Hamlin Commuter on May 17, 2021) • Route 124 Marketplace Mall ROC-it (replaced by Route 14 Marketplace on May 17, 2021) • Route 134 Hudson ROC-it (replaced by Route 4 Hudson on May 17, 2021) • Route 145 South ROC-it (replaced by Route 13 South on May 17, 2021) • Route 150 Dewey ROC-it (replaced by Route 21 Dewey on May 17, 2021) • Route 163 Lyell ROC-it (replaced by Route 20 Lyell or Route 42 Lyell/Upper Falls Crosstown on May 17, 2021) • Neighborhood Direct Service (NDS) (Vertus HS Humboldt Street) • Route 650 Humboldt St/Maplewood • Route 651 Humboldt St/Genesee-19th Ward SE • Route 652 Humboldt St/Lyell-Otis-Edgerton • Route 653 Humboldt St/PlymouthJefferson-19th Ward NW • Route 654 Humboldt St/Hudson-Northland-Portland • Route 655 Humboldt St/N Winton Village-N Marketview • Route 656 Humboldt St/St Paul-N Clinton-Joseph • Route 657 Humboldt St/City SE • Route TE3 Tiger East End Express • RIT Park Avenue Friday Nights == Other subsidiaries ==

• RTS Genesee (formerly Batavia Bus Service) serves Genesee County with local bus service in the city of Batavia, commuter service to and from Le Roy, and once-weekly dial-a-ride service to many of the smaller outlying communities of Wyoming County. Also of note, the RTS Genesee is the oldest of the smaller subsidiaries of the RGRTA network. • RTS Livingston (formerly Livingston Area Transit Service) serves Livingston County with several routes connecting with the county seat of Geneseo and to sites in/near Rochester. It also operates a local bus service in Geneseo and special service for students at SUNY Geneseo. One line connects to RTS Wayne buses in Perry. • RTS Wayne (formerly Wayne Area Transit Service) serves Wayne County with several loop routes based around the county seat of Lyons and the town of Sodus. Then WATS joined the RGRTA as a subsidiary in 1980. A shuttle service also connects with Regional Transit Service (RTS) buses during commuting hours in Lyons. • RTS Wyoming (formerly Wyoming Transit Service) serves Wyoming County, running three loops connecting towns in the community to the county seat of Warsaw. A local loop bus service is also offered to passengers weekdays in the Village of Warsaw. • RTS Ontario (formerly County Area Transit Service) serves Ontario County with a focus on Canandaigua and Geneva. • RTS Orleans (formerly Orleans Transit Service) serves Orleans County with a focus on the larger villages of Albion and Medina with one line connecting to the RTS Genesee subsidiary in Batavia, and special service for students at SUNY Brockport. • RTS Seneca (formerly Seneca Transit Service) serves Seneca County with a focus on Geneva, Seneca Falls, and Waterloo. Additional service also operates on a less frequent schedule as far south as Interlaken and Lodi. • RTS Access (formerly Lift Line) (provider of paratransit services to the area served within 3/4 mile of any fixed RTS route) • RGRTA Maritime Development Corporation • Genesee Transportation Service Council Staff, Inc. On August 19, 2014, RGRTA announced a rebranding of all their bus lines in the surrounding counties under their control to be named RTS, with the county name following, as shown above, rather than independent names. The changes were officially implemented immediately with equipment and uniforms changing as they are phased in. == Facilities ==

In 2014, the authority opened a $50 million RTS transit center in downtown Rochester, replacing the former bus station that was part of Midtown Plaza. The center has 30 bays capable of handling up to 100 buses per hour. RTSTransitCenterClintonAvenueEntrance.JPG|Clinton Avenue entrance RTSTransitCenterInteriorFromClintonAvenueEntrance.JPG|Interior viewed from the Clinton Avenue entrance RTSTransitCenterInteriorLookingTowardClintonAvenueEntrance.JPG|Interior looking toward the Clinton Avenue entrance RTSTransitCenterTicketAndInformationCounter.JPG|Ticket and information counter RTSTransitCenterInteriorLookingTowardStPaulStreetEntrance.JPG|Interior looking toward the St. Paul Street entrance RTSTransitCenterInteriorFromStPaulStreetEntrance.JPG|Interior viewed from the St. Paul Street entrance RTSTransitCenterStPaulStreetEntrance.JPG|St. Paul Street entrance == See also ==

AThis ridership number only accounts for RTS Monroe County. It does not include other subsidies, including RTS Access.