Students rerouted: How Centro cuts impact campus travel

A Centro bus stop at SUNY Oswego in an undated photo. Due to budget cuts, Centro has cut run times for buses

OSWEGO, NY — Students at SUNY Oswego are facing transportation changes, after recent budget cuts have resulted in reduced service times for the campus bus routes.

The Centro bus system scaled back its times on its Blue and Green routes, which many students without cars relied on to get to class. Centro officials said that the decision was made by the university.

“The level of service here was determined by the college itself,” said Steve Koegel, Vice President of Communications and Business Planning at Centro. “They came to us and said, these are the hours we would like to operate the service”.

Union representatives said they were not consulted about the changes. “The Student Association approached Centro and said they needed to make a 10 percent cut in our run,” said Norman Dana, Centro Oswego union rep.

Students and drivers are both worried this will cause safety issues in the winter and colder months. “You are not going to want to walk back in those conditions and risk your health,” said Logan Weingartner, a junior at Oswego.

Centro drivers have asked students to sign a petition asking the school to restore service.