NORWICH — In light of Chenango County’s recent decision to discontinue its public transportation at the end of 2024, a protest was held outside of the county’s courthouse in Norwich.
“Broome has public transportation, Madison has public transportation,” said Mark Ashton, a local transit driver. “We’re going to be the only county in New York state now that doesn’t have public transportation? I’m not for that.”
According to officials, it would cost taxpayers approximately $1 million to keep its public transportation operational. Meanwhile, the county is already $400,000 over its tax cap.
Residents and transit workers alike are concerned that a discontinuance of the public transportation system would leave underserved members of the community, like the elderly, without a way to get around.
“A lot of these elderly people can’t afford cabs. They’ve said that themselves,” Transdev employee Brianne Ambrose said. “A lot of these individuals depend on us. We take them to appointments, we take them to jobs so they can, you know, live and survive on their own.
Chenango County Attorney Zachary Whitworth told 12 News that the county has been trying to find a solution for months.
“We had been doing extensions with our current operators since June to see if we can find a resolution that was financially feasible for the county but we’ve been unable to at this time,” Whitworth stated.
Whitworth said that the county will continue to try and find a permanent solution, but that nothing will get done before the December 31 discontinuance.
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