Intercom

Dear Campus Community,

We want to draw your attention to some recent changes to the Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, Inc. (TCAT) bus service for our Ithaca College community. 

On August 18, TCAT announced its Fall 2022 service schedule, which officially went into effect on August 21, and will extend through January 21, 2023. Due to staffing limitations and budgetary constraints, TCAT has enacted reductions to several of its bus routes in comparison to previous academic years. Notably, for our campus community there were several reductions made to Route 11 which provides primary service between Ithaca College’s South Hill campus and the Downtown Ithaca Commons.

TCAT Service Impact on South Hill
These reductions in TCAT bus service to Route 11, between now and January 21, include:

• Buses will now make stops on campus at a one-hour frequency instead of the 30-minute frequency typical of past academic years.
• Final outbound service from the Commons to campus will depart at 9:05 p.m. on weekdays (Monday-Friday).
• Final inbound service from campus to the Commons departs at 9:29 p.m. from the Roy Park School of Communications bus stop on weekdays (Monday-Friday). 
• Final outbound service from the Commons to campus departs at 11:45 p.m. on Saturdays.
• Final inbound service from campus to the Commons departs from the Towers bus stop at 12:05 a.m. on Saturdays.
• Sunday morning service now begins later at 10:08 a.m. with outbound service departing from Green Street Station.

Working with TCAT for a Quicker Resolution
Our campus’s connection to the diverse and vibrant Ithaca community is one of the hallmarks of the Ithaca College experience. We want to assure you that IC will continue to champion the need for accessible public transportation service by TCAT for our campus community. We want to stress that while the circumstances surrounding TCAT’s service reductions were out of IC’s control, and the college was not consulted in any schedule changes, the college continues to work proactively and productively with TCAT leadership to restore the traditional academic year service to our campus as quickly as possible. The college is also exploring other potential measures to ensure safe and accessible transportation options for our community.

Plan Ahead
During this period of TCAT service reductions, we encourage the campus community, particularly frequent TCAT riders, to please plan accordingly as you travel to and from campus to avoid significant disruption to classes and work schedules. You can view the Fall 2022 TCAT schedule for all routes at this link, which which includes the Route 11 schedule servicing IC’s campus. You can track the real-time status of routes by utilizing the Bus Tracker tool. The TCAT college students page also has useful information specific to IC students.

Continue Being Good Neighbors
We would also like to remind students to continue being respectful neighbors to community members throughout the South Hill area. These TCAT reductions have the potential to increase foot traffic during late-evening hours. We ask for your cooperation, please, in being safe and responsible travelers to and from campus. We also encourage you to visit this Intercom post with helpful safety tips and reminders.

Thanks to the Ithaca College community for its diligence, and patience, during this temporary reduction in public bus service to and from South Hill by TCAT.

Sincerely,

Bonnie Prunty
Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Life

Tim Downs
Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer