A decades-old partnership allows SUNY Oswego students to ride free on Centro buses
By Tom and Jerry Caraccioli
The adage “There’s no such thing as a free ride” isn’t quite true when it comes to the Centro Bus and its service to SUNY Oswego students.
Centro, a public benefit corporation in New York state and part of the Central New York Regional Transportation Authority (CNYRTA), has partnered with SUNY Oswego for more than two decades offering students with a valid college identification card and student association sticker free rides on and off campus within the city limits.
With more than 3,000 students living off campus and approximately 80% without access to personal transportation, Centro’s partnership with SUNY Oswego is a huge component for many.
“The campus has a direct partnership in which Centro provides a direct shuttle to support students moving around so they’re not driving their vehicles from one spot to another,” Assistant Vice President & Executive Director of Auxiliary Services Steve McAfee explains. “Centro runs from 7 o’clock in the morning until 8 o’clock at night and takes students to our Rice Creek facility, Fallbrook facility and Laker Hall.”
Along with redeveloping a route that goes through the city of Oswego and will unify a route that connects the campus to Walmart, Centro Bus service also offers students $4 round-trip rides to Syracuse for connections with Amtrak, Greyhound and Trailways buses within Syracuse, as well as the Hancock International Airport.
“Centro allows us to connect to the Syracuse Regional Transportation Center: the airports, Amtrak and bus transportation,” McAfee continued. “As we recruit to places further afield – New York City, Long Island, Philadelphia, the Delmarva region of Pennsylvania – we’re seeing students are used to taking public transportation. It allows our students to get home and gives them a way to go back and forth. Without Centro, we couldn’t do it.”
Centro Bus Services don’t just cater to Oswego. The well-respected and long-time bus company also serves riders throughout Central New York including Syracuse, Oswego, Fulton, Auburn, Rome, Cortland and Utica. As a result, SUNY Oswego is able to concentrate recruiting efforts from these areas as well.
McAfee reiterated the importance of an annual review of the service and the importance of communication within the partnership between the administration, Centro and the students. “Every year, we evaluate this process,” he said. “Feedback to us and Centro is critical in order to provide the best possible service.”
Tom and Jerry Caraccioli are freelance writers originally from Oswego, who have co-authored three books: “STRIKING SILVER: The Untold Story of America’s Forgotten Hockey Team,” “BOYCOTT: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” and “Ice Breakers.”
