Short Line (bus company)

Short Line is a brand name for three different Coach USA companies, Hudson Transit Lines, Hudson Transit Corporation, and Chenango Valley Bus Lines that provide local, commuter and intercity bus service in lower New York State, primarily along the Route 17 and Southern Tier corridor. Coach USA acquired the companies in 1998.^[4]

Short Line Bus

Short Line Bus #81372 lays over on 23rd Street and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, before starting a run on the 208-GWB Eastside Commuter route.
Parent	Coach USA
Founded	1922
Headquarters	66 Tetz Road, Chester, NY 10918
Locale	New York
Service area	Greater New York, Southern Tier, Hudson Valley, Finger Lakes
Service type	Local, intercity, contract, and charter bus service
Alliance	Trailways (Route 96 only)
Routes	29
Hubs	PABT, Middletown, Monticello, Newburgh, and Binghamton
Stations	GWB Bus Terminal, PABT
Fleet	233 [1][2][3]
Website	www.shortlinebus.com

In June 2024, Coach USA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming corporate impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has plans to sell its assets, and plans to sell its Megabus subsidiaries (including Short Line) to Bus Company Holdings, a unit of the Renco Group.^[5]

Service types

Short Line's service can be defined in several categories:

The Main Line route, operated with TransitOrange buses

Local bus service

Short Line, under contract to Orange County, provides local bus service along the former Erie Main Line corridor along Route 17M.^[6] ShortLine also owns local routes traveling along Routes 17K and 32 in Orange County, as well as local routes traveling onward from Middletown onward to Route 209, and to other towns along Route 17.

Commuter bus service

Within the New York metropolitan area, ShortLine operates commuter services along the Route 17 corridor, Interstate 84, Routes 208 and 32, and Rockland and Bergen (NJ Route 17) counties to New York City.

In addition, under contract to the New York State Department of Transportation and Rockland County Department of Public Transportation, ShortLine provides commuter bus service from Orange and Rockland Counties to White Plains and Tarrytown.^[7]

Intercity bus service

Within and beyond the New York metropolitan area, ShortLine provides scheduled service to and from Long Island to the Southern Tier (via Middletown and Monticello) and service to and from major colleges and universities in the region, such as Cornell University, SUNY Alfred, Binghamton University, Ithaca College, and SUNY Albany, and intermediate points. The central hub for all of these routes is Binghamton, via Routes X178 and 495.

Route detail

Short Line provides service along 29 routes. Details are listed below for the full route only. Some schedules may serve only portions of the line, skip some stops, or may service multiple routes.

Unless noted, all service is provided using Coach USA-branded vehicles.

Bergen, Rockland, and Westchester County routes

Route	Outbound terminal	Via	Inbound terminal	Notes
Northern District-Nanuet (W59)	Nanuet Exit 14 P/R and Hamlets	Express	New York Midtown or Wall Street	Peak service only; route subsidized by Rockland County.
Northern District-Bergen County	Mahwah Ramapo College	Route 208, Wyckoff, Oakland	Port Authority Bus Terminal	Peak service only. Local passengers in New Jersey are not carried on this line.
17G	Ramsey	Wyckoff Avenue, Franklin Turnpike		Peak service only.
17RG	Mahwah Ridge Gardens	Franklin Turnpike (Ho-Ho-Kus to Mahwah)		Peak service only
17SF/WY	Suffern	Route 17 to Mahwah Orange Avenue to Suffern		WY trips via Ramapo College. Select trips continue to/from 17M/MD service from Central Valley and Middletown.
17US	Ramsey	Upper Saddle River		Peak service only

Orange, Dutchess, Ulster and Pike County routes

These routes service the outer regions of the New York metropolitan area.

Route	Terminal A	Via	Terminal B	Notes
Main Line Trolley	Middletown	Route 17M	Woodbury Common Premium Outlets	Route owned by Orange County DOT. Weekend trips extended to Harriman. Service on this line uses TransitOrange vehicles. Does not operate on major holidays.
17M/MD		Monroe, Goshen, Chester, Central Valley, Harriman, Tuxedo, Sloatsburg, Suffern	Port Authority Bus Terminal	This route has a number of peak-service and short-turn variants: 17C for service to Chester. 17G for service terminating in Goshen. In addition, most local trips continue to/from 17SF/WY in Bergen County.
X32N	Rhinebeck	Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, Woodbury Common
XPA84	Hawley	Honesdale (PA), Port Jervis (NY), Middletown		Off-peak service extended to Honesdale.
X87M	Middletown	Route 17/Thruway Express		Rush-hour only nonstop service.
700	Newburgh or West Point	Thruway Express		Rush-hour only nonstop service.
		Cornwall, West Point, Stony Point, Haverstraw, Suffern, Bergen County
		Woodbury Common
208-GWB Eastside Commuter	Montgomery	Washingtonville, Monroe, Central Valley	New York George Washington Bridge, Harlem, and East Side	Route owned by the New York State DOT. Does not serve Port Authority Bus Terminal. Peak service only.
209	Kerhonkson	Ellenville, Wurtsboro, Middletown, Monroe	Port Authority Bus Terminal
287 (Orange-Westchester Link)	Middletown	Goshen, Monroe, Central Valley	White Plains Platinum Mile	Route owned by the New York State DOT; fare is between $4.00 and $5.55 depending on distance. Peak service only; alternate service available on Route 495.
L-9	Newburgh	Cornwall, West Point, Highland Falls, Bear Mountain, Suffern	Port Authority Bus Terminal
L-211		Routes 17K and 211	Middletown	Local Orange County service

Beyond the New York metro area

These routes run primarily from the New York Metro area to points in the Southern Tier (Sullivan County and beyond), or service the Southern Tier of New York State exclusively.

Route	Terminal A	Via	Terminal B	Notes
40	Monticello	Port Authority Bus Terminal	Brooklyn Midwood	Summer only. Does not operate during Jewish Sabbath.
52	Monticello	South Fallsburg, Woodbourne, Sullivan County Community College	Liberty
56	Monticello	Monticello Gaming & Raceway, White Lake, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts	Villa Roma	Operates mid-May thru mid-October. No service Sunday & Monday. Special Concert Excursions to Bethel Woods from New York City and other points available.
79	Olean	Alfred State College	Binghamton	Feeder line into Route X178 at its eastern end. Connects to Coach USA WNY (which continues to Jamestown) at its western end.
88	Binghamton	Interstate 88 corridor	Albany	Joint service with Trailways of New York.
L178	Monticello	Wurtsboro, Middletown	Port Authority Bus Terminal
X178	Alfred State College or Ithaca City Bus Terminal or Cornell University	Binghamton, Monticello		Services from either Western New York end point may require a transfer in Binghamton.
179	Binghamton	Deposit, Hancock, Roscoe, Liberty, Monticello Gaming & Raceway	Monticello
495	Monticello	Middletown, Woodbury Common, Nanuet, White Plains, Queens Village, Hempstead	Patchogue	Transfer to/from Southern Tier buses in Monticello. Stops in Middletown for transfers to buses to Pike County, Route 17, Ellenville, and Kerkhonson. Stops at Woodbury Common for transfers to Newburgh buses. Express service for the Main Line route.
L-12	Utica	Colgate University, SUNY Morrisville, Norwich	Binghamton	Feeder line into Route X178.

Incidents

On June 12, 2017, in New York City, a Hudson Transit Lines bus was involved in a crash in which driver Dave Lewis ran over and killed bicyclist Dan Hanegby, an Israeli-American athlete and cycling enthusiast.^[8] The bus driver was arrested due to this incident, on a misdemeanor charge.^[9]

See also

• Greyhound Lines
• Trailways of New York