Hudson Link

Lower Hudson Transit Link

Service area	Rockland County, New York and Westchester County, New York
Service type	Commuter bus service
Routes	6
Fleet	31 Prévost X3-45
Operator	Transdev
Website	[1]

The Lower Hudson Transit Link, commonly known as Hudson Link, is a service which began on October 29, 2018, operating between several locations in Rockland County, New York, and over the Tappan Zee Bridge, to serve Tarrytown and White Plains in Westchester County, New York. It replaced the former Tappan Zee Express bus, which ran between White Plains and Suffern. The bus service It is often referred simply to the "Hudson Link". The bus is operated by Transdev under contract to the New York State Department of Transportation.

The fare for a single ride is $2.75, which can be in cash on buses or by credit card at machines located at bus stops. A single ride with a transfer is $3.75, which allows for connections (within two hours) to Transport of Rockland, Clarkstown Mini-Trans, or Bee-Line Bus. A special $1.00 fare exists for those using the bus only in Tarrytown, between Elizabeth Street and the Metro North Station.

History

The Lower Hudson Transit Link was developed to help relief the traffic conditions on travel between Rockland & Westchester Counties, as well as plan for future population growth. The initial plan by the Mass Transit Task Force was published in 2014 when the Tappan Zee Bridge was going to be replaced with what was then called the New NY Bridge (now the Mario Cuomo Bridge). The initial plan consisted seven services, provide intercounty and intracounty service to Rockland and Westchester Counties, and the New York City borough of The Bronx. All these routes would operate along dedicated bus lane segments, with Traffic Signal Priority:

Red: Suffern to White Plains or Westchester County Airport
Blue: Spring Valley to Yonkers
Green: Spring Valley to Tarrytown (Peak Service Only)
Navy: Tarrytown to White Plains
Gold: White Plains to Bedford Park
Platinum: White Plains to Port Chester
Purple: White Plains to Westchester Medical Center (Valhalla)

The initial plans were changed as a result of Rockland residents complaining about the loss of direct access to Tarrytown. Although residents were told that service to White Plains would result in a faster trip on the combined Hudson Link/Metro North connection to New York City, many did believe that was possible because White Plains is seven miles from Tarrytown, and the buses would operate along heavy I-287 traffic during the rush hours. That consequently set up complaints from Tarrytown residents about too many buses running in the neighborhood. One of the major changes was that four routes (and one express variant) would make up the system, instead of the seven proposed. The proposed red service was truncated to Palisades Center as a shuttle (which is the current HO1 service). Nyack got two daily bus routes heading towards Tarrytown and White Plains.

The other proposed routes from the 2014 study have become future provisions of the network, which will be expanded on "as ridership warrants". There are some initiative to roll out the White Plains-Port Chester service (proposed Platinum route), but no implementation schedule is set for that, or the other future provisions.

Bus Fleet

The Hudson Link bus service uses 31 Prévost X3-45 buses, numbered R801-R831. Buses have free Wi-Fi and USB ports. Buses are also equipped with bike racks. Buses sport the New York State colors, with the Hudson Link and NYSDOT logos on the sides and at the front of the bus. All buses are wheelchair accessible.

Fleet Number(s)	Photo	Year	Manufacturer	Model	Engine	Transmission	Notes
R801-R831		2018	Prevost	X3-45	Volvo D13	Allison B500	Same mechanical specifications as the NYMTA units. Equipped with overhead TV screens, wifi, USB charging outlets, and bike racks (Capacity of 3) Capacity of 57 passengers

List of routes

The Lower Hudson Transit Link operates several routes:

Route	Terminals			Streets Traveled	Notes	History
H01	Suffern, NY Hallett Place & Chestnut St	↔	West Nyack, NY Palisades Center Commuter Lot J	NYS Route 59, Interstate 287	Operates daily in the morning and afternoon only.	Extended to Tarrytown via Nyack on August 25, 2019
			Tarrytown, NY Metro North station
H01X		→ AM	Tarrytown, NY Metro North station	NYS Route 59, Interstate 287, Broadway	Operates only in the AM rush from Suffern to Tarrytown No stops are made from Palisades Center to Tarrytown Metro-North Station	New service introduced on August 25, 2019.
H03	Monsey, NY Main Street & NYS Route 59	↔	White Plains, NY Broadway & Main Street	NYS Route 59, Interstate 287, Tappan Zee Bridge	Daily Service. Non-stop between White Plains TransCenter and Palisades Center Lot J.
H05	West Nyack, NY Palisades Center Commuter Lot J	↔	White Plains, NY Broadway & Main Street	NYS Route 59, Main Street, South Broadway Interstate 287, Tappan Zee Bridge	Daily Service. Non-stop between White Plains TransCenter and Nyack.
H07		↔	Tarrytown, NY Metro North station	NYS Route 59, Main Street, South Broadway, Tappan Zee Bridge, Broadway	Daily Service. Special $1.00 fare applicable for travel in Tarrytown from Elizabeth Street & to/from points north.	Peak hour and evening service extended to/from Spring Valley on August 25, 2019. Most rush hour and all late evening service truncated from Spring Valley to Palisades Center on September 25, 2019.
H07X		→ AM ---- ← PM	Tarrytown, NY Metro North station	NYS Route 59, Interstate 287, Tappan Zee Bridge, Broadway	Rush Hour Service. No stops are made between commuter lot J and the Tarrytown Metro-North Station	Service extended to Spring Valley on August 25, 2019

External links

• Hudson Link Website
• NYSDOT Lower Hudson Transit Link Website