The Off Campus College Transport (OCCT) DCL bus became the DCR as of Monday, Sept. 12. The bus previously traveled through Binghamton’s West Side on Leroy Street, and the new route follows Riverside Drive.
Nicholas Ferrara, president of the Student Association and a senior majoring in political science, said that the change came after the city of Binghamton voiced residents’ concerns that the DCL was creating unwelcome traffic in suburban neighborhoods.
“The change happened as a result of many local residents complaining about our buses traveling through very residential areas instead of main roads,” Ferrara said. “The city of Binghamton eventually got involved and asked us to stop sending DCL buses on Leroy Street. We have a good relationship with the city and quickly complied with their request.”
Ferrara also said that OCCT hopes to bring back the DCL route while also avoiding the western half of Leroy Street where many residents did not want buses to travel.
“Once the city completes some construction projects that will make it possible for our buses to safely travel on Beethoven Street, we will reinstate an improved version of the DCL that will get onto Leroy Street via Beethoven Street instead of West End Avenue,” Ferrara said. “We are unsure how long it will take the city to complete those construction projects but we are hopeful they will do so as soon as possible.”
Brian Favela, the Binghamton University executive director of parking and transportation said that the University plans to work with student groups to find a solution to the route change.
“[These] changes were made in good spirit to ensure that OCCT operates safely and that bus service remains efficient in the services they provide,” Favela wrote in an email. “I am hopeful that this is a temporary solution. The [transportation and parking services] team plans to work with the Student Association, GSO, city of Binghamton and other stakeholders to develop a more permanent solution.”
In the meantime, Favela also said that students can look to the Broome County Transit (BCT) buses for extra support. Students are allowed to take BCT buses free of charge with their student ID.
“While OCCT operates down Riverside, Broome County Transit (BCT) still provides services on Leroy Street,” Favela wrote. “The BCT 15 provides these services everyday and has the same stops as that of the DCL Inbound and Outbound stops.“
BCT operates from 5:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Max Steinbach, a senior double-majoring in environmental studies and political science, said that he was thrown off by the change initially, but has since adjusted.
“This was really annoying at first until I realized there is a city bus that runs pretty frequently and comes to the same stop,” Steinbach said. “It’s a longer ride than the DCL was, but it’s not too bad.”