The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) is a New York State public-benefit corporation providing transit services across the Capital District of New York State (Albany, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, and Washington counties). CDTA runs local and express buses, including four lines of an express bus service called BusPlus (905, 910, 922, 923), and manages three Amtrak stations in the Capital regionâÂÂthe Albany-Rensselaer, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs Amtrak stations. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .
Created as an act of the New York State Legislature in August 1970, CDTA was formed similarly to agencies in Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo. In 1970, CDTA purchased and took over management of the United Traction Company and Schenectady Transit.
CDTA bus operators, dispatchers, and supervisory staff are organized in Local 1321 of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).
CDTA is overseen by a nine-member board of directors.
At the present time, the board representation includes:
There is also an executive director that handles day-to-day business, reporting to the board of directors. In 2017, the CDTA had operating expenses of $108.41 million and a level of staffing of 821 people.
CDTA operates ~55 routes, connecting neighborhoods, shopping centers, colleges, and major regional hubs. Services generally run:
Weekdays: 4:00 AM â 1:00 AM, Saturdays: 4:00 AM â 12:30 AM Sundays: 6:00 AM â 12:30 AM
College routes often run later, up to 2:00 AM in Albany and Troy.
Source:
The Albany Division, based at CDTAâÂÂs Watervliet Avenue headquarters, includes routes originally operated by United Traction and Albany-Nassau Bus. A major system overhaul in 2011âÂÂ2012 streamlined Albany County service into more direct neighborhood and commuter routes.
In early 2011, CDTA announced its plans to restructure the Albany County bus routes in two phases. Its goal was to have a more uniformed bus system without any route deviation. Phase 1 involved reconstructing routes within the city of Albany. The results were five new neighborhood routes and three commuter routes. Phase 1 of the reconstructing went into effect on November 13, 2011. In August 2012, CDTA revealed the draft plan for Phase 2 of the reconstructing. Phase 2 involved reconstructing routes within the western and northern portions of Albany County, with a public input campaign held until September 2012. Phase 2 of the reconstructing went into effect on November 11, 2012. This is a list of buses that run under CDTA:
This is a list of buses that run under CDTA:
Former bus routes that were part of the Albany Division include:
In 2010, CDTA restructured Schenectady service, replacing several older routes (51, 52, 53, 54, etc.) with new cross-town routes 351, 352, 353, 354, and 358, though Route 358 was later cut due to low ridership. This was part of a shift to a new three-digit route numbering system.
CDTA also introduced express routes 530, 531, and 532 from Schenectady to Downtown Albany, which replaced the former 55x route. These buses did not accept local passengers. Routes 531 and 532 were eventually consolidated and discontinued, while Route 530 became part of Route 560, the Thruway Express to Montgomery County, launched in 2022.
Former bus routes that were part of the Schenectady Division include:
Source:
Saratoga Springs routes operate from CDTAâÂÂs Schenectady Division and run seven days a week. Before 2007, service was limited and operated out of the Uncle Sam Depot in Troy, with no direct connection to the rest of the CDTA network.
On July 2, 2007, Route 50 was expanded and began running hourly between Schenectady and Wilton Mall, with several local deviations. Service was centralized out of the Electric Depot in Schenectady.
In 2016, CDTA restructured the system:
Route 50 became Route 450, now running direct along NY 50
New Routes 451 and 452 absorbed former deviations and replaced portions of Routes 472 and 473
CDTA has future plans to build a Saratoga Springs garage at Grande Industrial Park off Geyser Road.
In 2025,
Routes 451 and 452 were discontinued, "except for late night Skidmore trips on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights" and replaced with Flex service.
Former Saratoga Springs bus routes that were operated by the Schenectady Division include:
Former Saratoga Springs bus routes that were operated by the Troy Division include:
Before CDTA, most of these routes were operated by the United Traction Co and the Troy-Fifth Avenue Bus Company. Buses run from the Uncle Sam Depot at 40 Hoosick Street in Troy, which also used to operate Saratoga Springs service prior to July 2007. Source: Former routes that were part of the Troy Division include:
CDTA began Montgomery County Service on August 28, 2022, after the City of Amsterdam discontinued its municipal bus service in 2018. The new service included service along Route 5 to Schenectady, connecting Amsterdam to its fixed route system. The takeover also included the introduction of the TX: Thruway Express, which provides commuter express service from Amsterdam to Albany; similar to its Northway Express service in Saratoga County.
CDTA officially took over the former Greater Glens Falls Transit bus company on January 1, 2024. Upon the takeover, CDTA left all of the former Greater Glens Falls Transit routes the same, only changing the route numbers to match its new three-digit route identification. The routes service Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga Counties. On April 1, 2025, CDTA upgraded the fare structure in its Glens Falls Division to align with the rest of its fixed route system. On August 24, 2025, Route #713 was created, connecting Glens Falls with Saratoga Springs. CDTA plans to restructure its Glens Falls routes in August of 2026.
CDTA formerly operated three suburban shuttles using smaller vans out of Albany Division. These served office parks and destinations not requiring full-size buses. In November 2012, all shuttle service was discontinued and replaced with fixed routes 117 and 155, which now connect Albany International Airport, Wolf Road, Colonie Center, Crossgates Mall, and Washington Ave Ext. This is similar to FLEX Service.
In 2020, CDTA began a service called Flex which is an on-demand service where a person is transported by van to their desired location or CDTA bus route. Riders use an app similar to Uber and Lyft to request a ride. Currently the service only operates in parts of Colonie and Guilderland, but the program may be expanded in the future. At first the service was free, but in October 2020, CDTA started requiring riders to pay for Flex ride. In September 2021, the service was expanded to the southern part of Saratoga County, New York, to service Clifton Park, Halfmoon and Mechanicville. Starting in November 2025, FLEX service will absorb all areas that routes 451 and 452 served, as well as surrounding areas. As stated in the 2025 TDP, FLEX service in Amsterdam has been looked into since 2024, and may be a possibility in the future, as well as Glens Falls.
CDTAâÂÂs BusPlus service is a limited-stop system with distinct line colors, shown to the right. The 4 lines collectively feature frequent arrivals of every 10 to 15 mins (although frequency was decreased on the Red and Blue lines to every 12 to 20 mins in 2025 and 2026 due to CDTA's funding deficit), articulated buses, queue jumps and signal priority, although isn't considered to be true BRT due to the lack of dedicated bus lanes (on the Red and Blue lines), off-board fare collection, or level boarding.
NY 5 BRT service, known as the Red Line or 905 BusPlus, began on Monday, April 4, 2011, with new silver and red-branded Gillig 40-foot hybrid buses. Route 55 was then renumbered to 355 and cut back to Colonie Station. In 2018 and 2022, the BusPlus fleet was expanded to include New Flyer XD60 articulated buses. In 2024 and 2025, the original Hybrid buses were replaced with Diesel buses.
In November 2020, the BusPlus Service was expanded from one to three routes. The two new routes that operate along the NY 32/Broadway corridor between Downtown Albany, Menands, and Troy/Cohoes are the 922 & 923, also known as the "Blue Line", with 32 stops between Downtown Albany, Cohoes, and Waterford. A fleet of Gillig 40' Diesel buses branded silver and Blue are used on the line/s, with 1 articulated bus joining the fleet in 2023.
On November 5, 2023, Route 910, the "Purple Line" began service operating along Western Ave/US 20 between Downtown Albany and Crossgates Mall, via UAlbany. A fleet of all New Flyer XD60 buses are used. Notably, the Purple Line features a mile long busway through the UAlbany Uptown Campus. On November 30, 2025, 2 previously cut stations were re-added at Western & Colonial and Harriman East.
In cooperation with the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, CDTA operates open-air trolleys during the summer months. In the past, the trolleys would run from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day to serve popular destinations such as the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Spa State Park, the Saratoga Casino and Raceway, the Saratoga Race Course and Broadway. Prior to 2011, the trolley ran between Skidmore College and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. From 2007 to 2010, Route #471 provided summer service to the Saratoga Race Course, before it was discontinued due to low ridership. From 2011 to 2015, the trolley route ran between Broadway, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Spa State Park, the Saratoga Casino and Raceway and the Saratoga Race Course, to include areas previously served by Route #471. , trolley service to Skidmore College was discontinued, with year-round service to Skidmore College continued on former Route #473 and new Route #452. , trolley service to Saratoga Spa State Park and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center has been discontinued and replaced by a new route that runs between the Courtyard Hotel, Broadway, the Saratoga Race Course and the Saratoga Casino and Raceway. The 2016 changes also included free fare for all riders and service reduction to instead only run from Independence Day weekend to Labor Day. While not marked as such on the vehicles, this service appears as Route #875 on the Saratoga Service map.
Upon taking over Greater Glens Falls Transit in January 2024, CDTA acquired its summer trolley service. Similar to its Saratoga Trolley, the service consists of open-air trolleys that operate during the summer months. The trolleys run from Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day, with two fixed routes. Route 876 runs along Route 9 between the Ridge St terminal Glens Falls and Beach Rd in Lake George. Additional trips run to Lake George RV Park. During the summer months, Route 419 is temporarily suspended. After Columbus Day, when service along Route 876 is discontinued, Route 419 is continued again. Route 877 runs along Route 9N between Beach Rd in Lake George to the Sagamore in Bolton Landing.
In 1982, CDTA began providing paratransit services to riders who are medically unable to take regular transit services. ADA wheelchair-accessible buses were added in 1988; since 2004, all CDTA routes have been wheelchair-accessible. The Star fleet has had a variety of minibuses. Though for most of its history it has been dominated by the Orion II low-floor minibus, STAR has begun replacing older models with Startrans "Senator" cutaway vehicles. Other minibuses in the fleet include Ford "ELF" minibuses and several transfers from suburban shuttle routes (see below).
The NX: Northway Xpress is a group of express routes that links Albany to towns in Saratoga County which is operated under contract by Upstate Transit (which had been contracted to run the service since 2006). These routes run from Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa, Malta, Clifton Park, Round Lake, and South Glens Falls to Downtown Albany. In October 2012, Northway Express fares and schedules were redesigned to increase ridership and service efficiency. Fare structure was consolidated from 5 zones to 3 zones, with the addition of an unlimited ride prepayment card. Service was also eliminated from areas with low ridership, including Mechanicville, Stillwater, Albany International Airport, SUNY Albany, Wolf Road and the Harriman State Office Campus. In May 2014, Northway Express service was expanded to Corporate Woods, but this was later retracted. With the takeover of Greater Glens Falls Transit in January 2024, CDTA is looking to potentially expand its Northway Express service further north into Warren County in the future.
When CDTA expanded to Montgomery County in August 2022, it began its TX: Thruway Express service, which operates similar to its Northway Express. The new Thruway Express provides commuter express service between Albany and Amsterdam, also stopping at the Thruway Exit 26 Park & Ride in Glenville along the way. Before CDTA, This service had been provided by Brown Coach for many years, and still uses some of their coaches, but CDTA brought more advertising to the route, and numbered it #560.
Until 2012, CDTA operated rural/lifeline services to several areas in rural Albany and Rensselaer counties, once per week, including routes #810 (Berne/Knox), #812 (Rensselaerville), #870 (Saratoga County Shuttle), and #96 (Rensselaer Rural, with summer Grafton State Park service); as part of CDTA's route restructuring, these routes were phased out, except Route #96, which now only provides summer Grafton State Park service.
The CDTA has been promoting its own electric scooters. Initially planned for use by the public in the summer of 2021, implementation was delayed to 2025.
In 2025, CDTA SCOOT launched, for 1 month from September to October
All buses are wheelchair accessible.
<nowiki>*</nowiki> All MCIs can run on 560 due to occasional staffing shortages or maintenance changes.
CDTA will get 14 more 40' Gillig Diesel Buses (4268-4281), with delivery in 2026.
In 2025, CDTA mentioned in their Transit Development Plan a preference for Hybrid Electric Buses going forward, as a "proven bridge technology." They were awarded 31.787 million dollars in 2025 under the FTA's Low/No Emissions grant program to purchase said Hybrid Buses, and a March 2026 internal document has 2 million dollars in the 2026-2027 budget set aside for a hybrid articulated bus.
Also in 2025, CDTA was awarded 17.5 million dollars, partially to purchase 2 Hydrogen/Fuel Cell Electric Buses.
In 2005, CDTA commissioned a transit development plan that would create a planned environment to react to needed changes in the CDTA organization.
Parts of this plan included:
In 2025, CDTA developed another Transit Development Plan, which most importantly mentions:
These service changes started in August of 2025 and continued into 2026.