So how does Centro manage to thrive in such a difficult environment? 
    For starters, Centro has invested in research and development of its various route systems in an effort to attract new customers and respond to the needs of those who already rely on Centro’s service.   In recent years, Centro has restructured routes in nearly all of the counties in which it operates:

            Syracuse/Onondaga County:     November 2002
            Auburn/Cayuga County:            June 2004
            Rome/Oneida County:               March 2006
            Utica/Oneida County:               August 2007

     The results have been significant.  The changes in Syracuse, the most comprehensive in Centro’s history, created more cross-town and suburb to suburb service.  The resulting ridership increases marked the beginning of the current upward trend in ridership.
     In Auburn, the route system was redesigned to reduce the need for transfers. Ridership jumped nearly 30% in the 12 months that followed. Three years later, Auburn continues to enjoy ridership increases.
     In Rome, changes were made less than 6 months after Centro took over that transit system. Today’s service provides more convenient access to major employers and retail centers.  The result is a 17% increase in ridership.
     And within the past month, Centro implemented substantial changes to its route system in Utica introducing a timed-transfer system and enhanced weeknight service to major retail centers.  Initial feedback from customers has been positive.
     “It is clear that Centro is becoming more important in the lives of our residents,” said Centro Executive Director Frank Kobliski.  “While the rise in gas prices may have enticed some to turn to public transportation, we believe the efforts made to improve the quality and convenience of our transportation services is the overriding factor over the long haul”
     Unique services are also a foundation of Centro’s success. In late August of this year, Centro operated its exceedingly popular Park-N-Ride shuttles to the New York State Fair, one of New York State’s largest annual events.  The service provides quick and inexpensive transportation just footsteps away from the Fair’s Main Gate. While the State Fair itself saw only a negligible increase in attendance, Centro’s Park-N-Ride service jumped 13% during the 12-day event.  When combined with Centro’s State Fair Parking Lot shuttle, more than 270,000 people - or one out of every four - arrived at the  Fair’s Main Gate on a Centro bus.
     Centro continues to work with Syracuse University and the City of Syracuse to operate a critical link between the University’s campus and Syracuse’s vibrant cultural community.  The “Connective Corridor” bus service provides students with transportation to museums, art galleries and theatre houses they otherwise may not have discovered.  It’s part of an overall effort to bring the campus and the city closer together.
     Centro has also taken the next step in its commitment to the environment.  A bio-diesel blend has recently been introduced as a fuel source for all buses powered by diesel engines.  This, combined with Centro’s fleet of 129 compressed natural gas and diesel-electric hybrid buses, means every bus in Centro’s four-county service area contains an environmentally friendly component. 
     As the Central New York community moves toward the future, it finds itself moving by one of the finest public transit systems in operation. More people and more places are connected by Centro, a trend that has many in the community asking how they too can take advantage of the transit system. Centro is committed to listening to those resident’s needs and providing first-class service to meet the increased demand. Centro and its employees are clearly taking Central New Yorkers “wherever life takes them.”