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County advances microtransit plan; planning team to apply for up to $3 million in NYSERDA Clean Mobility funding
Summary
Staff and consultants presented a phased microtransit proposal focused on flexible, on‑demand service across Lewis County; the Finance and Rules Committee authorized submission of a Round 2 NYSERDA Clean Mobility Program application for up to $3 million to support implementation.
Lewis County’s Planning and Community Development staff and consultant Stantec presented a microtransit feasibility study and recommended a phased, on‑demand service designed to augment existing fixed‑route transit and Dial‑A‑Ride offerings. The Finance and Rules Committee authorized submission of a Round 2 NYSERDA Clean Mobility Program application for up to $3,000,000 to implement the plan if awarded.
Tiffany Sadowski, the county’s community development program specialist who oversees public transportation, said the county earlier received a $100,000 NYSERDA planning grant and partnered with Stantec to develop the service profile. Consultant Ashley Thompson summarized public engagement and the recommended service model: the team received 219 survey responses and conducted stakeholder interviews to identify travel demand, gap locations and user needs.
The recommended rollout uses a phased approach. Phase 1 would provide partial county coverage in a single service zone — roughly mirroring core destinations around Lowville — using three vehicles to provide door‑to‑door pick‑ups with 20‑minute target wait times. A later, full‑coverage phase would divide the county into three zones (north, central and south) with a mobility hub in Lowville to handle transfers and a maximum pickup window of 30 minutes for most trips.
The consultant presented two funding/operational models: a hybrid approach in which the county would purchase vehicles and infrastructure and contract operations (estimated roughly $4.1 million over three years) and a turnkey vendor model (roughly $4.8 million over three years). NYSERDA’s demonstration awards can provide up to $3 million; Stantec noted other state funds (5311 and STS funds) could be used to cover remaining costs and that vendors may negotiate lower prices for short‑term demonstration contracts.
After questions about post‑grant funding and fares (fares would be comparable to the county’s existing Dial‑A‑Ride service), the committee voted to authorize county staff to submit a NYSERDA Round 2 application not to exceed $3,000,000 to implement projects identified in the microtransit plan.
