New Changes Starting on Public Buses in Ulster County

A select number of public buses are set to add a new way to monitor riders and keep them safe in Ulster County, NY.

Most of the counties in the Hudson Valley each have public transportation, offering riders a cheaper and, in some cases, free option to get from one place to another.

Orange County offers rides on Transit Orange, with fares ranging from $1-$5. In Dutchess County, riders have access to Dutchess County Public Transit with fares starting at $1.75, and in Ulster County, riders can use Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT) for free. All of these organizations offer bus rides along routes in parts of their respective counties.

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Unfortunately, one of these organizations has reported that there have been some issues with unruly behavior along some routes, leading to them adding a new safety addition to some buses.

Ulster County Buses Adding New Safety Feature

Riders using UCAT buses in Ulster County should expect to see something new on select buses next week, according to the Daily Freeman. Bus stewards will officially begin riding buses on Monday, August 11th, 2025, and will be tasked with looking after bus riders, dealing with any unruly behavior, and more.

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Ulster County Deputy County Executive Amberly Jane Campbell told the Freeman that the county has hired two stewards to try and "curb" unruly behavior on UCAT buses. The new stewards are the county's answer to problems that some riders reported having last year, including rider aggression and bad behavior.

Last December, the Ulster County Legislature approved using $131,498 of taxpayer money to hire two stewards to ride on UCAT buses.

What Bus Routes Will Stewards Work On?

Campbell said that the stewards will start riding buses on all of the UCAT bus routes on Monday, and after that, they will be assigned as needed.