CDTA outlines Transit Development Plan, warns of funding shortfall and plans service rebalancing

Frank Anacaro, chief executive officer of the Capital District Transportation Authority, told the Multimodal Transit and Pedestrian Access Committee that CDTA is executing a multi‑phase Transit Development Plan and rebalancing service to match current ridership and fiscal constraints.

Anacaro said the plan — described during the meeting as a 342‑page roadmap the agency’s board approved in September — recommends concentrating service on high‑ridership corridors, eliminating costly route deviations, splitting overly long routes and expanding lower‑cost flex and point‑to‑point services in low‑density “transit‑desert” areas. “We’re focusing our effort on ensuring that our service matches today’s real world demand,” Anacaro said. “That means improving reliability, eliminating redundancy and aligning service levels with actual ridership.”

Why it matters: CDTA officials said COVID reserve funds have largely been spent and the authority lacks the dedicated revenue streams available to larger systems, complicating long‑range planning. Anacaro urged stable state funding as a priority: “Unlike the MTA, we do not have many dedicated…