Gov. Kathy Hochul launched free MTA weekend shuttle buses between Newburgh and Beacon on Saturday, July 4. The service runs with Metro-North Railroad train connections and stays free through the end of the year.
Hochul said the weekday service showed enough demand for weekend service after residents on the west side of the Hudson River raised concerns about limited public transit options. The buses run from 7:45 a.m. to 8:52 p.m. on weekends and holidays and connect with 27 Metro-North trains to and from New York City.
Newburgh and Beacon route
Leprechaun Lines is operating the buses under a contract with the state Department of Transportation. The weekday network was expanded in January to 65 bus trips over the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, up from 41 last year, and the weekend launch extends that pattern beyond weekdays.
Rep. Pat Ryan called the service an important step for Orange County and the Hudson Valley. “This is an exciting moment for our Orange County community, and for the Hudson Valley as a whole,” he said about the expanded service.
Hudson Valley ferry dispute
The bus launch also sits inside a larger transit shift. Metro-North eliminated ferry service between Newburgh and Beacon last summer because of low ridership, and that ferry service cost the Metropolitan Transportation Authority more than $2 million a year.
Advocates continue to press the state to restore ferry service across the Hudson that would connect Dutchess and Orange counties. In May, the Orange County Industrial Agency agreed to contribute $100,000 toward a weekend pilot program, but that amount was only half of what would be needed to revive ferry service.
Pat Ryan on weekend service
Ryan said the new buses go beyond a scheduling change. “We’ve been fighting for years for better West-of-Hudson transit options, and this expanded service makes real progress towards the transit system our community deserves – one that is faster, cheaper and better equipped to handle the needs of our growing community.”
For riders, the immediate change is practical: weekend travel between Newburgh and Beacon now has a free option timed to Metro-North trips, while the ferry question stays unresolved and the bus service continues through the end of the year.
