Posted by Ask anyone from Rochester New York about Kodak, Xerox and Bausch & Lomb and they will all tell you about three companies that once employed an incredibly significant percentage of the population. They will also likely tell you that those companies combined now employ only a few thousand in a city that has had to grapple with a changing local economy due to Xerox and Bausch’s diminished presence and Kodak’s outright meltdown.
As a result, the University of Rochester has become the city’s largest employer with over 20,000 jobs between the college, medical center, Eastman School of Music and other installations. Rochester’s colleges and universities have become even more of a crucial resource for the community in the last 10 years, with the U of R and Rochester Institute of Technology leading the way.
RTS, Rochester’s bus service took steps recently to cater to the college student and young professional demographic recently as they installed 6 new “state of the art” bus “stations” (more like shelters on steroids) around the University of Rochester Medical Center. One of these stations provides service to College Town, a relatively new Rochester destination born out of an overhaul of the area east of the medical center and U of R campus complete with a Barnes and Noble, restaurants, bars and shopping locations.
With bright lighting, digital signage and even bike racks, these new stations stand out from the rest. They nicely compliment a forward thinking, shiny new area that has literally been completely revamped. They are a clear signal that RTS is reaching out to a younger crowd looking for alternative transportation options.
While building a few lighted bus stations may not seem like much, it is a solid step toward upgrading RTS’s presence and visibility in one of Rochester’s hottest destinations and places of employment. It is a clear signal that Rochester and RTS are committed to clean, appealing, sustainable transportation for everyone. This gives residents from all walks of life and socioeconomic status one more reason to feel good about a bus system in Rochester that is taking small but important strides toward making our city great.