Chautauqua Area Regional Transit System

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The Chautauqua Area Regional Transit System, also known previously as the Chautauqua Area Rural Transit System is a public transport carrier, with services focused on Chautauqua County in the state of New York. Service has been provided for since 1977. In the fall of 2017, CARTS celebrated 40 years of transportation coverage to Chautauqua County.

Originally, services were provided to the rural areas of Chautauqua County, with Mayville, Jamestown and Dunkirk/Fredonia as connecting points between routes. Today, service is still comprised of regional routes, servicing most areas of Chautauqua County, but city bus services for the cities of Jamestown, and Dunkirk, NY began being offered, since the discontinuation and dissolving of the Jamestown Area Regional Transit System in 1996. There was a brief period of no city bus services in Jamestown, while the county worked on negotiations with the driver's union of the past JARTS drivers. This was not a new idea...in 1992, a panel studied merging the two systems into the CARTS system.[1]

Jamestown originated services from the Jamestown Gateway Train Station (formerly Erie Railroad Station or Lackawanna-Erie Railroad Station), however, moved the downtown transfer center to 215 E Third Street (formerly the Ray Nelson service station) since 2018. Since the CARTS system has been operating out of 215 E Third Street, they are working on building a new transfer center on the same site.[2] Dunkirk originating services operate from Dunkirk City Hall on Central Avenue.

In July 2023, the County of Chautauqua will begin the launch of a rebranded system, named CHQ Transit. The launch of the newly branded system will also debut a riders' app, cashless fare system and the introduction of three trolleys to the present fleet.[3] [4]

Routes

  • City of Dunkirk -
Red Route
Green Route
  • City of Jamestown
Baker (Red)
Falconer (Orange)
Lakewood via Fairmount (Blue)
Lakewood via Jones & Gifford (Teal)
North Main Route (Lavender)
South-West Express (Pink)
Willard (Green)
  • Regional routes
East/Southeast County
North County
Northwest County
South County to North County
South County via Rte. 394
South County via Rte. 430
Southwest County

Fares

CARTS operates on an exact fare zone system, in which passengers pay a boarding fare, for the township they have boarded in, and a zone surcharge for each additional town they pass through, to reach their destination. The maximum number of zones to be charged, per trip, is six.

Also, there are four different classifications or fare types. The first (and simplest) fare is the "City/Rural On Route" fare. This is the cheapest, due to the passenger using the services, as scheduled.

The second fare type, "Rural Route-Off Route" is similar to the previous, with the exception that the bus will deviate up to 3/4 of a mile from its normal route to get a passenger closer to their destination.

The third and fourth types, "Dial-a-Ride Curb to Curb", and "Dial-a-Ride Door to Door" are demand-response services, usually involving passengers with mobility issues, or persons unable to use conventional services. "Curb to Curb" would drop off the passenger at their destination without assistance, while the "Door to Door" requires assistance to their door. The most expensive is "Door to Door", approximately five-times the cost of conventional service.

Roster

The CARTS system operates with approximately 33 ADA accessible buses.

Active

Fleet Number(s) Thumbnail Year Manufacturer Model Engine Transmission Notes
C-317 ? Ford E-450
C-321 ? Ford ?
C-322 2009 Ford E-450 VIN # 1FDXE45P76DA53689
C-328 ? Ford ?
  • Assigned to Jamestown terminal.
  • Internet sighting as of August 2013.
C-329 2007 Ford

Coach and Equipment

E-450

Phoenix

  • VIN 1FDXE45P47DA65025.
  • Assigned to Jamestown terminal
  • Internet sighting as of August 2013.
C-330 to C-335 2009 Ford
ElDorado National
E-450
Aerotech
Used on conventional transit routes.
C-336 to C-339 2009 Ford
Starcraft Bus
E-450
Allstar
C-340 to C-356
(assumed)
2010 Ford
Coach and Equipment
E-450
Phoenix
Used on conventional transit routes.
C-359 to C-364? 2011 Ford E-Series VIN 1FDFE4FS2BDB22572
C-365 to C-371? 2016 Ford E-Series
  • 369 is an E-350 model.
  • 365, 371 are E-450 models.
C-378 2017 Ford E-Series
min-2 20?? Trolley-styled buses used on seasonal tourist-related routes.

Retired

Fleet Number(s) Thumbnail Year Manufacturer Model Engine Transmission Notes
101-104 1967 GMC TDH-3501
122-124 1964 GMC TDH-3501
125-128 1967 GMC TDH-4519
134 1966 MCI MC-5A
394-400 1977 Flxible 35096-6-1 Detroit Diesel 6V71N Allison V730
500-501 1985 OBI Orion I
(01.507)
Detroit Diesel 6V92TA

External links

Official Site

References

  1. News Staff (The Buffalo News), Jamestown Panel to Study Merger of Transit Systems, February 5, 1992
  2. In Our Opinion (The Post Journal), Is CARTS Becoming The Next Chautauqua County Airport?, March 12, 2022
  3. Gregory Bacon (The Post Journal), CARTS To Get New Name, Hub As Ridership Drops, March 7, 2022
  4. County of Chautauqua, CHQ Transit Rebranding Announcement, qhqgov.com