Short Line (bus company)

Short Line is a brand name for three different Coach USA companies, Hudson Transit Lines, Hudson Transit Corporation, and Chenango Valley Bus Lines that provide local, commuter and intercity bus service in lower New York State, primarily along the Route 17 and Southern Tier corridor. Coach USA acquired the companies in 1998.[4]

Short Line Bus
Short Line Bus #81372 lays over on 23rd Street and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, before starting a run on the 208-GWB Eastside Commuter route.
ParentCoach USA
Founded1922
Headquarters66 Tetz Road, Chester, NY 10918
LocaleNew York
Service areaGreater New York, Southern Tier, Hudson Valley, Finger Lakes
Service typeLocal, intercity, contract, and charter bus service
AllianceTrailways
(Route 96 only)
Routes29
HubsPABT, Middletown, Monticello, Newburgh, and Binghamton
StationsGWB Bus Terminal, PABT
Fleet233 [1][2][3]
Websitewww.shortlinebus.com

In June 2024, Coach USA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming corporate impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has plans to sell its assets, and plans to sell its Megabus subsidiaries (including Short Line) to Bus Company Holdings, a unit of the Renco Group.[5]

Service types

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Short Line's service can be defined in several categories:

 
The Main Line route, operated with TransitOrange buses

Local bus service

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Short Line, under contract to Orange County, provides local bus service along the former Erie Main Line corridor along Route 17M.[6] ShortLine also owns local routes traveling along Routes 17K and 32 in Orange County, as well as local routes traveling onward from Middletown onward to Route 209, and to other towns along Route 17.

Commuter bus service

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Within the New York metropolitan area, ShortLine operates commuter services along the Route 17 corridor, Interstate 84, Routes 208 and 32, and Rockland and Bergen (NJ Route 17) counties to New York City.

In addition, under contract to the New York State Department of Transportation and Rockland County Department of Public Transportation, ShortLine provides commuter bus service from Orange and Rockland Counties to White Plains and Tarrytown.[7]

Intercity bus service

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Within and beyond the New York metropolitan area, ShortLine provides scheduled service to and from Long Island to the Southern Tier (via Middletown and Monticello) and service to and from major colleges and universities in the region, such as Cornell University, SUNY Alfred, Binghamton University, Ithaca College, and SUNY Albany, and intermediate points. The central hub for all of these routes is Binghamton, via Routes X178 and 495.

Route detail

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Short Line provides service along 29 routes. Details are listed below for the full route only. Some schedules may serve only portions of the line, skip some stops, or may service multiple routes.

Unless noted, all service is provided using Coach USA-branded vehicles.

Bergen, Rockland, and Westchester County routes

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Route Outbound terminal Via Inbound terminal Notes
Northern District-Nanuet (W59)
Nanuet
Exit 14 P/R and Hamlets
Express New York
Midtown or Wall Street
  • Peak service only; route subsidized by Rockland County.
Northern District-Bergen County
Mahwah
Ramapo College
Route 208, Wyckoff, Oakland Port Authority Bus Terminal
  • Peak service only.
  • Local passengers in New Jersey are not carried on this line.
17G
Ramsey Wyckoff Avenue, Franklin Turnpike
  • Peak service only.
17RG
Mahwah
Ridge Gardens
Franklin Turnpike (Ho-Ho-Kus to Mahwah)
  • Peak service only
17SF/WY
Suffern Route 17 to Mahwah
Orange Avenue to Suffern
  • WY trips via Ramapo College.
  • Select trips continue to/from 17M/MD service from Central Valley and Middletown.
17US
Ramsey Upper Saddle River
  • Peak service only

Orange, Dutchess, Ulster and Pike County routes

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These routes service the outer regions of the New York metropolitan area.

Route Terminal A Via Terminal B Notes
Main Line
Trolley
Middletown Route 17M Woodbury Common Premium Outlets
  • Route owned by Orange County DOT.
  • Weekend trips extended to Harriman.
  • Service on this line uses TransitOrange vehicles.
  • Does not operate on major holidays.
17M/MD
Monroe, Goshen, Chester, Central Valley, Harriman, Tuxedo, Sloatsburg, Suffern Port Authority Bus Terminal
  • This route has a number of peak-service and short-turn variants:
  • 17C for service to Chester.
  • 17G for service terminating in Goshen.
  • In addition, most local trips continue to/from 17SF/WY in Bergen County.
X32N
Rhinebeck Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, Woodbury Common
XPA84
Hawley Honesdale (PA), Port Jervis (NY), Middletown
  • Off-peak service extended to Honesdale.
X87M
Middletown Route 17/Thruway Express
  • Rush-hour only nonstop service.
700 Newburgh or West Point Thruway Express
  • Rush-hour only nonstop service.
Cornwall, West Point, Stony Point, Haverstraw, Suffern, Bergen County
Woodbury Common
208-GWB Eastside Commuter
Montgomery Washingtonville, Monroe, Central Valley New York
George Washington Bridge, Harlem, and East Side
  • Route owned by the New York State DOT.
  • Does not serve Port Authority Bus Terminal.
  • Peak service only.
209
Kerhonkson Ellenville, Wurtsboro, Middletown, Monroe Port Authority Bus Terminal
287
(Orange-Westchester Link)
Middletown Goshen, Monroe, Central Valley White Plains
Platinum Mile
  • Route owned by the New York State DOT; fare is between $4.00 and $5.55 depending on distance.
  • Peak service only; alternate service available on Route 495.
L-9
Newburgh Cornwall, West Point, Highland Falls, Bear Mountain, Suffern Port Authority Bus Terminal
L-211
Routes 17K and 211 Middletown
  • Local Orange County service

Beyond the New York metro area

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These routes run primarily from the New York Metro area to points in the Southern Tier (Sullivan County and beyond), or service the Southern Tier of New York State exclusively.

Route Terminal A Via Terminal B Notes
40
Monticello Port Authority Bus Terminal Brooklyn
Midwood
52
Monticello South Fallsburg, Woodbourne, Sullivan County Community College Liberty
56
Monticello Monticello Gaming & Raceway, White Lake, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Villa Roma
  • Operates mid-May thru mid-October.
  • No service Sunday & Monday.
  • Special Concert Excursions to Bethel Woods from New York City and other points available.
79
Olean Alfred State College Binghamton
  • Feeder line into Route X178 at its eastern end.
  • Connects to Coach USA WNY (which continues to Jamestown) at its western end.[1]
88
Binghamton Interstate 88 corridor Albany
L178
Monticello Wurtsboro, Middletown Port Authority Bus Terminal
X178
Alfred State College or
Ithaca City Bus Terminal or
Cornell University
Binghamton, Monticello
  • Services from either Western New York end point may require a transfer in Binghamton.
179
Binghamton Deposit, Hancock, Roscoe, Liberty, Monticello Gaming & Raceway Monticello
495
Monticello Middletown, Woodbury Common, Nanuet, White Plains, Queens Village, Hempstead Patchogue
  • Transfer to/from Southern Tier buses in Monticello.
  • Stops in Middletown for transfers to buses to Pike County, Route 17, Ellenville, and Kerkhonson.
  • Stops at Woodbury Common for transfers to Newburgh buses.
  • Express service for the Main Line route.
L-12
Utica Colgate University, SUNY Morrisville, Norwich Binghamton
  • Feeder line into Route X178.

Incidents

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On June 12, 2017, in New York City, a Hudson Transit Lines bus was involved in a crash in which driver Dave Lewis ran over and killed bicyclist Dan Hanegby, an Israeli-American athlete and cycling enthusiast.[8] The bus driver was arrested due to this incident, on a misdemeanor charge.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ SAFERSYS Hudson Transit Lines statistics
  2. ^ SAFERSYS Hudson Transit Corporation statistics
  3. ^ SAFERSYS Chenango Valley statistics
  4. ^ "29504 - Decision". Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  5. ^ "Coach USA files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware". Bloomberg Law. June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  6. ^ Short Line: Orange County Main Line
  7. ^ Short Line: Orange-Westchester Link to Tarrytown & White Plains
  8. ^ Whitford, Emma (June 16, 2017). "Chelsea Residents Warned City About Buses Using Side Streets Near Citi Bike Death". Gothamist. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  9. ^ Rosenberg, Rebecca (October 31, 2017). "Bus driver charged in first Citi Bike fatality". New York Post. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
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