Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority
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| Slogan | Enjoy The Ride |
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| Founded | 1969 |
| Headquarters | 1372 East Main Street, Rochester, NY 14609 |
| Locale | Monroe and surrounding counties |
| Service area | Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne and Wyoming counties; New York |
| Service type | Public Transit |
| Destinations | Rochester and surrounding area |
| Hubs | RTS Transit Center |
| Fleet | Bus, Van |
| Daily ridership | 54,900 daily (Fourth quarter 2016) |
| Fuel type | Diesel, diesel-electric |
| Operator | RTS, B-Line, RTS Livingston, RTS Wayne, RTS Genesee, RTS Ontario, RTS Wyoming, RTS Orleans, RTS Seneca, RTS Access |
| Chief executive | Bill Carpenter |
| Website | Official Website |
The Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA) is a public benefit organization which provides transportation services in the area in and around Rochester, New York. Currently, RGRTA oversees the daily operation of eleven subsidiaries under the parent company of the RGRTA, including paratransit services.
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 Public Service Commission approved a reorganization plan in 1937 put together by attorney Howard Woods and his committee of stockholders.
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.
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.
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Wikipedia