VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Leah Masi, Reporter: Meet Ali Kareem. He relies on public transportation to get around Syracuse. So, how often does he ride?
Ali Kareem: All the time.I mainly use it to commute to OCC and like work.
Masi: Kareem grew up on the west side and says his experience with Centro has been pretty reliable.
Kareem: Sometimes slow but never like late, late
Masi: But that’s not the case for everyone. Centro’s in the process of a major redesign and Bren Daiss, Vice President of Communications, says it will make service more frequency and more efficient.
Bren Daiss, Centro: We’re looking for our current customers to be able to go more places and more often. We’re looking for a little bit more efficient service in areas that don’t need a full sized big bus. And we are looking for new riders.
Masi: But people like Kareem haven’t even heard about it yet. Kareem says if there were more signs like these at Centro stops, it would be easier to stay in the loop about changes to the bus system. But according to Daiss, he won’t be in the dark for long.
Daiss: When we get closer to our changes, we’ll be out the week before, we’ll be out the week of the changes to help people navigate.
Masi: The changes aren’t expected to be in effect until 2027 giving riders time to prepare. The proposed plans are available on Centro’s website and social media pages. For now, some rides say they just need to know where to look. In Syracuse, Leah Masi, NCC News.
Centro officials say they are working to keep riders informed as they plan major changes to Syracuse’s bus system, but some people who rely on the service every day say they haven’t heard about it yet.
The redesign aims to reduce wait times and increase frequency. If approved, the changes aren’t expected to take effect until 2027. Some of the changes will include buses running more often, fewer stops and faster trips; some routes will skip the downtown hub, and there will be on-demand service in some areas.
Centro’s Bren Daiss, Associate Vice President of Communications and Business Planning, said her team has been going into neighborhoods to speak with riders and gather feedback.
“First of all, [about] what folks wanted to change and then more recently about what our plan is,” Daiss said.
Still, not all riders are aware of the proposed changes.
Ali Kareem, a Syracuse resident who uses Centro buses to commute to Onondaga Community College and work, says he rides frequently.
“All the time,” Kareem said.
However, Kareem said he had not heard about the redesign. He suggested that more signage at stops and in stations would help keep riders informed.
“We have plenty of time to sit on the bus to let us know what’s going on,” Kareem said.
Daiss noted Centro has already begun outreach efforts. This past summer, she said her team presented proposed changes to riders and asked for feedback on how to improve service.
“We got a lot of feedback, so we made some changes,” Daiss said. “We’re really concentrating on the customers. Folks say that our schedules are confusing, so how can we clean that up?”
She said the goal is to make the system easier to use.
“How can we clean up the system, make it more straightforward through fewer deviations?” Daiss said.
Daiss added that connecting directly with riders has been key to spreading the word.
“Riding the routes and being at the hub and being at the high-frequency, high-ridership locations where we can talk to actual bus riders,” Daiss said. “That has been key, as well as social media.”
Centro officials said more outreach is planned as the changes get closer. Daiss said staff will be out in the community leading up to the rollout to help riders navigate the updates.
“We’ll be out the week before, and we’ll be out the week of the changes,” Daiss said.
Centro officials said more outreach is planned as the changes get closer. Daiss said staff will be out in the community leading up to the rollout to help riders navigate the updates the week before and the week of.
In the meantime, proposed plans are available on Centro’s website and social media pages.