RTS service cuts raise transportation concerns for SUNY Brockport students

<img src="https://jiuniversity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/3b737e5d-1575-4b3d-84f2-675cb3a6aa1d-GSARTACUTS_0001_frame_1.jpeg” alt=”GSA RTA CUTS_0001_frame_1.jpeg”>
SUNY Brockport is pictured Thursday, November 5, 2026. (Photo by Natalie Calzetoni/WHAM)

Brockport, N.Y. (WHAM) — SUNY Brockport leaders and students are raising alarms about how they will get to classes, internships and jobs after Regional Transit Service announced it will end its on-demand service in Monroe County

BACKGROUND: RTS to eliminate Monroe County on-demand service, replace with fixed routes in some zones |RTS riders face uncertainty as on-demand service ends in Monroe County

RTS said the changes will happen within the next five months and are intended to help address its budget deficit. SUNY Brockport President Dawn Meza Soufleris said on-demand transit in Brockport has already been slowly scaled back, with night and weekend service eliminated over the summer, and warned the latest move could affect hundreds of students who rely on the service

“This is one that I’m going to be relentless on for the good of our students, our faculty staff and our community members in the village,” Soufleris said

RTS announced Wednesday that on-demand service in the Brockport zone will end Jan. 22. Soufleris said she learned the news earlier this week

“This is devastating for a university that wants and needs to get students throughout the county, commuter students that come on to the campus to take classes, job opportunities,” Soufleris said. “There’s so many things that we will be unable to do now or provide without some form of public transportation.”

RTS has said it will offer limited fixed routes in some parts of the county as part of a second round of restructuring, and that the decision comes down to cost

For many students on the SUNY Brockport campus, reliable public transportation is a lifeline

“I think it’s kind of concerning, especially for students with internships — I have a lot of friends who are doing internships right now — that, if they’re not able to get transportation, they’re not going to be able to have those opportunities,” said Jane Lloyd, a SUNY Brockport student

Soufleris said alternative transportation solutions for students are limited

“Students come to us to get an excellent education, but it’s about affordability,” Soufleris said. “Not every student is coming with a car.”

Soufleris also said students have reported high costs for ride-hailing services

“We’ve had students tell us it has been anywhere from $150 to $200 a week or a month for them to utilize Lyft and Uber,” Lloyd said. “That’s not sustainable.”

The college operates a small shuttle system to help students get around campus, but Soufleris said expanding it is not feasible. She said a meeting with RTS is scheduled for Monday

“I’m hoping that there is another alternative because we want to partner with them,” Soufleris said. “We want to have the route that is the best option for us.”

“It’s a basic needs issue for us,” Soufleris added. “You think about food, clothing, shelter, psychological safety and transportation are the top five basic needs things, and so that’s why this is such an absolutely disconcerting decision that we’ve been handed.”

In a statement Wednesday, RTS CEO Miguel Velázquez said RTS is working with the school to find a solution

The entire RTS team recognizes that this service restructuring will have an impact on our customers, and we do not take that responsibility lightly,” said RTS CEO Miguel Velázquez. “However, as stewards of taxpayer dollars, we have an obligation to ensure that we deliver service in the most reliable, efficient, and financially sustainable manner possible. Even though this was a very difficult decision to make, it is necessary to help us ensure the long-term health and sustainability of our community’s public transit system. Additionally, we are in discussions with the president of SUNY Brockport and are actively working to see if we can find a solution that aligns with our financial reality and helps meet the college’s transportation needs.

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Source: 13wham.com