ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – CDTA held its annual State of CDTA Thursday morning, highlighting some of the accomplishments the transportation network achieved in the past year, while showcasing goals for the coming months. One of the main points is continuing to expand service, including in Warren County.

“We’re in serious talks with the City of Glens Falls to assume their small municipal operation,” said CDTA CEO Carm Basile.

The exploration into expanding north comes months after CDTA began service in Amsterdam and Montgomery County. Basile says this expansion would merge the existing Greater Glens Falls Transit into CDTA, something that would need approval from the Warren County Board of Supervisors.

If approved, it would allow for connectivity between Warren and Saratoga counties, “There’s a lot of areas in between the City of Glens Falls and the City of Saratoga Springs that we think require a serious investment in public transportation services, and we’re willing to do that,” Basile said.

Glens Falls Mayor Bill Collins says this expansion would be a win for the city, as well as the county as a whole. Currently, he says, GGFT has struggled with staffing shortages and limited buses, with CDTA already helping the municipal operation with drivers.

“Anything that can tie us to the Capital Region in general would be fantastic. Right now, CDTA ends in the Town of Moreau, and the Greater Glens Falls Transit ends in South Glens Falls. If you want to get between those two organizations, you’re walking or doing something else,” he said about the opportunity.

The consideration of expansion comes as ridership on CDTA has almost fully recovered since the beginning of the pandemic, now at 90% of pre-pandemic levels.

“The structure of the ridership is a little different, but the totals are now basically what it was pre-pandemic,” Basile explained.

Basile also highlighted further innovations to be expected in the coming year, including the introduction of 100 e-bikes to add to its existing bicycle network, “They’re really the latest rage. People love them, it’s that little extra boost that you need sometimes.”

CDTA is also hoping to expand its electric car share program, Drive. Basile says they’re also considering increasing the Universal Access Program, something he says had a positive impact on ridership.