It's been years in the making, and now the new Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (Tcat) system finally will become reality Aug. 22. To prepare the community for the upcoming change, Tcat's staff will be on hand at several bus stops throughout Tompkins County next week to address riders' questions and concerns and to distribute detailed information on the new plan. (See schedule below)

It's been a long road for local transit to get to this point. First came the consolidation of the three separate transit systems -- Cornell, Ithaca Transit and TomTran -- officially creating Tcat. Then came the difficult process of critically examining these three different systems in order to create one unified, efficient system.

Since the summer of 1997, Tcat has worked with Weslin Consulting Services, a national public transportation consulting firm, on a service and fare consolidation study. Throughout the study, community input on how to improve the current transit system was gathered through over 50 public meetings and a rider survey. The survey data, census information, an analysis of transfer patterns, an on-and-off count of all bus passengers and a comparison study of all Tcat routes provided the basis for the service plan recommendations.

Then Tcat had to identify and eliminate low-demand and duplicate routes, allocate the manpower and vehicles to increase service to high-demand areas and design and implement new routes according to these recommendations. The new service plan will include:

· more frequent schedule times;

· increased evening service;

· increased Saturday service;

· introduction of daytime Sunday service;

· improved weekday rural service;

· redesigned bus schedules; and

· new bus stop signs.

Tcat is gearing up for its Aug. 22 service introduction by helping local riders plan for the adjustments that may lay ahead for them. Some riders will notice little change in their routine, while others may find that they'll be riding a different route number at a different time.

"We'll be distributing 'StreetWise', a newsletter that will help riders learn about the improvements, as well as the new system map," said Tcat General Manager Rod Ghearing. "We'll also have route change slips that riders can fill out on the bus and return to the driver. Tcat will then mail the slip back to them with details on which routes will meet their needs in the new system."

Tcat representatives will be at the following bus stops on the these dates to help introduce passengers to the system changes:

Tuesday, Aug. 10, 3 to 5 p.m.

Pyramid Mall (in front of Sears entrance)

Cayuga and State streets (in front of Ben & Jerry's)

Wednesday, Aug. 11, 3 to 5 p.m.

Green Street shelter

Seneca and Tioga streets

Statler Hall, Cornell

Cornell's Center for Theatre Arts (Collegetown)

Thursday, Aug. 12, 3 to 5 p.m.

Pyramid Mall (in front of Sears entrance)

Cayuga and State streets (in front of Ben & Jerry's)

To learn more about the new service plan, riders also can call Tcat at (607) 277-RIDE or check the Tcat web site at http://www.tcatbus.com.