CARTS will now be providing Saturday City Fixed Routes and ADA complimentary Saturday service throughout the whole year.

JAMESTOWN — As part of Chautauqua County’s goal and commitment to improve and expand the CARTS service, CARTS will be providing Saturday City Fixed Routes and ADA complimentary Saturday service throughout the whole year.

“With the successful test this summer, I am thrilled we can now offer Saturday transportation services to better serve our residents and visitors,” said Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello.

In May 2019, CARTS launched a pilot program to provide Saturday City Fixed Routes Service to customers during the summer months of June, July and August. The pilot program was established after Borrello and Chautauqua County Department of Public Facilities Director Brad Bentley rode the CARTS city fixed routes and talked to the CARTS passengers who expressed the need for Saturday service.

“The ridership response to Saturday Summer Service has exceeded our expectations,” said Bentley. “After reviewing the data, the County has decided to continue the service for the rest of this year and for all of 2020. The public’s response to this service has been overwhelmingly positive. The CARTS team has worked hard over the past year to figure out how to provide this service with limited impacts to their budgets so that the residents and visitors in Chautauqua County can rely on Saturday City Fixed Route Service on a permanent basis.”

CARTS Saturday City Fixed Route Service will continue Sept. 7, after the conclusion of the summer pilot program on Aug. 31, in Jamestown, Lakewood, Celoron, Falconer and Dunkirk. The operating hours for the city routes have been adjusted according to summer ridership numbers to ensure CARTS is providing cost-effective service. CARTS will continue to review ridership data and adjust its times to ensure the Saturday service benefits the maximum number of customers.

Schedule times for Saturday City Fixed Route Service starting on Sept. 7, are as follows:

¯ Lakewood/Falconer Routes first run will be at 9 a.m. and the last run will depart from the Jamestown Junction at 4:30 p.m.

¯ Southwest Express/North Main, Baker/Willard Routes first run will be at 8:45 a.m. and the last run will depart from the Jamestown Junction at 4:45 p.m.

¯ Dunkirk Red and Green Routes first run will be at 8:30 a.m. and the final bus will depart at 4:30 p.m.

“We at CARTS are excited to provide this service year round as we work to fill the needs and gaps in Chautauqua County,” said Michele Westphal, Senior Project Coordinator of CARTS. “We would like to extend a thank you to the County Executive and Department of Public Facilities Director for their commitment and support of Saturday Service. I would also like to thank the CARTS drivers and staff that made this possible.”

Contact the CARTS office at 716-665-6466, 716-366-4500 or 1-800-388-6534 for more information or visit www.co.chautauqua.ny.us/799/CARTS or www.facebook.com/CARTS.NY/.