Centro Page

Transit service in Syracuse is provided by the Central New York Regional Transportation Authority, or Centro. Centro is one of the largest transit agencies in Upstate New York, and is one of four regional transit agencies enshrined in a 1970 state law, along with Buffalo’s NFTA, Rochester’s RGRTA, and Albany’s CDTA. Centro not only provides service throughout Onondaga County, but Cayuga, Oneida and Oswego counties as well, with a combined service area population of more than 700,000. Centro primarily provides service in Syracuse, though routes extend to Auburn, Central Square, Oswego, and Tully.

Centro operates a fleet of about 200 buses, including Orion V, NovaBus RTS, New Flyer C40LF and D40LF, Gillig Advantage CNG Hybrid and diesel, and Orion VII NG CNG buses along with some Ford minibuses used for dial-a-ride and paratransit service. In addition, there are some MCI highway coaches, such as 102D3 and D4000 buses, which are used for commuter services. Every Centro bus is equipped with a wheelchair lift to comply with ADA standards.

All photos are by the webmaster.

Orion I Citycruiser

	801 is a 1987 Orion 01.507, shown parked behind the Centro garage on Sept. 18, 2004. This bus is still equipped for the old route numbering system, where routes were marked by a number and a letter, such as 2T or 9K, with the number denoting a general destination and the letter a specific routing. This system was replaced by an all-numeral system in 2003.
	A line of 900-series Orion I buses sits retired behind the Centro garage on Sept. 18, 2004. These Orion 01.502 buses were purchased in 1989 for Centro of Cayuga in Auburn and were used until being replaced by New Flyer D30LF buses in 2004.

Bus Industries of America – Orion V

	509 was a 1991 Orion 05.501, still wearing the older blue livery. It is seen here at the Centro garage on Cortland Avenue on May 20, 2002. This bus is equipped with dual-stream exit doors instead of the wide single-stream exit doors seen on 540.
	532 was another 1991 Orion V, seen waiting at the J Lot park-and-ride facility near the Centro garage on Cortland Avenue. This photo was taken on Aug. 4, 2003. With the exception of 540, all of the Orion V buses from the early 1990s had been retired by October 2009, including the suburban buses acquired from the RGRTA and the CNG buses.
	536 was an Orion V painted in the blue livery, and is shown parked at the Centro garage on Sept. 5, 2008.
	538 was seen parked in front of the Centro garage on Sept. 18, 2004.
	539 was spotted at the Centro garage on April 30, 2007.
	540 is a 1992 Orion V diesel, shown parked at the Centro garage on May 20, 2002. This bus was transferred to the Call-a-Ride service in 2007. It was refit to hold seven wheelchair passengers and is the only diesel Orion V that was repainted into the new livery.
	555 is a 1992 Orion V CNG painted in the new livery, waiting with 556. This photo was taken at the Centro garage on Aug. 4, 2003.
	556 is another 1992 Orion V CNG, also painted in the new livery, and is resting with 555 at the Centro garage on Aug. 4, 2003.
	5510 is a 1992 Orion V suburban, used primarily on routes traveling outside the City of Syracuse, but within Onondaga County. This bus, which was originally RGRTA 551 from Rochester, is shown parked at the Centro garage on Aug. 4, 2003.
	9901 is a 1999 Orion 05.501 CNG, painted in the new livery. It is seen at the Centro garage on July 20, 2002.
	9904 is another 1999 Orion V CNG seen resting at the Centro garage on July 20, 2002.
	9904 is waiting to resume service on Aug. 4, 2003. This bus was seen on West Fayette Avenue in downtown Syracuse, at the intersection with South Salina Street. Most Centro routes serve this transfer point, and then depart toward their destinations.
	9907 was spotted at the Centro garage on Sept. 5, 2008.
	9911 is at the Centro garage waiting to enter service on May 20, 2002.
	9931 is resting at the Centro garage on July 20, 2002.
	9944 was spotted parked at the Centro garage on Sept. 5, 2008.
	9946 is seen at the Centro garage on July 20, 2002. Many Syracuse buses carry Contra-Vision ads such as this one for Fuccillo Auto Mall.
	9949 is seen boarding riders at the Carousel Center on Aug. 4, 2003.
	9961 is another Contra-Vision-wrapped Orion V seen at the Centro garage on July 20, 2002.
	9972 is seen waiting for riders on South Salina Street on Aug. 4, 2003.
	2380 is a 2003 Orion 05.502, one of the 35’ buses used on some suburban routes. It was spotted parked at the Centro garage on Cortland Avenue on April 30, 2007.
	A line of Orion V’s waiting to enter service on May 20, 2002. Most of the buses seen here are CNG buses purchased in 1999, though there is an older diesel bus in the lineup as well.
	624, 552, 9776 and 9773 are parked at the Centro garage. This photo was taken on Aug. 4, 2003.

Motor Coach Industries

	629 was a 1985 MC-9, shown at the Centro garage waiting to enter service on May 20, 2002. These buses are used on the long-haul commuter routes to the villages in Cayuga and Oswego counties, and they wear a special highway livery.
	670 is a 1996 MCI 102D3, seen dropping off riders on West Fayette Avenue in downtown Syracuse on Aug. 4, 2003.
	670 is seen again at the Carousel Center on Aug. 4, 2003. This bus then continued on toward Auburn.
	673 is another 1996 102D3, shown parked in front of the Centro garage next to 9916. This photo was taken on Sept. 18, 2004.
	680 is a 2001 MCI 102D3, spotted on West Bridge Street in Oswego on May 15, 2005. Passengers can then make connections to Centro of Oswego bus routes.

NovaBus RTS

	9760 is a 1997 RTS WFD CNG spotted parked at the Centro garage on Sept. 18, 2004.
	9763 is another RTS WFD, seen here resting at the Centro garage on May 20, 2002.
	9765 is parked along with some older Orion V buses, at the Centro garage on Aug. 4, 2003. The RTS buses are scheduled to be retired once the Orion VII NG CNG buses are delivered in 2010.
	9772 is waiting on Warren Street at the corner with West Fayette Street on Aug. 4, 2003.
	9773 is wrapped in a Contra-Vision ad, and is resting at the Centro garage on July 20, 2002.
	9773 was spotted again several years later without the full-body ad. This photo was taken at the Centro garage on Sept. 5, 2008.
	9774 is seen waiting for riders on South Salina Street on Aug. 4, 2003.
	This RTS is wrapped in an ad for a local radio station, and is similar to 9763 above. This photo was taken while the bus was stopped on South Salina Street on Aug. 4, 2003.

Ford Econoline

	230 is a minibus used for Call-a-Ride service. The number on this bus suggests that it is older than the other minibuses in the fleet. 230 was spotted leaving the Centro garage on May 20, 2002.
	9882 is a 1998 minibus seen resting at the Centro garage on Cortland Avenue on July 20, 2002.
	2303 is a 2003 Ford minibus, and it is just leaving the Centro garage on Aug. 4, 2003.

New Flyer Industries

	2402 is a 2004 New Flyer D30LF, shown parked at the Centro garage on April 30, 2007.
	2508 is a 2005 New Flyer D40LF, spotted on West Fayette Street in downtown Syracuse on April 30, 2007.
	2517 is another NFI D40LF, seen waiting for riders on South Salina Street on April 30, 2007.
	2519 was seen waiting on Warren Street at the corner with West Fayette Street on April 30, 2007.
	2522 was spotted on West Fayette Street on April 30, 2007.
	2523 is a 2005 New Flyer C40LF, shown parked at the Centro garage on Sept. 5, 2008.
	2525 is another NFI C40LF, seen parked at the Centro garage on April 30, 2007.
	2538 is shown boarding riders on South Salina Street in downtown Syracuse on April 30, 2007.
	2539 was spotted backing into a parking spot at the Centro garage on April 30, 2007.
	2541 was spotted on West Fayette Street on April 30, 2007.

Gillig Advantage T-40

	2707, a 2007 Gillig Advantage CNG Hybrid, is one of the first hybrid buses in Syracuse, one of Centro’s first buses from Gillig Corporation, and one of the few CNG-electric hybrid buses in North America. It is shown parked at the Centro garage on Sept. 4, 2007.
	2708 is another 2007 Gillig Advantage hybrid, spotted resting at the Centro garage with Orion V 538 on Sept. 4, 2007.
	2802 is a 2008 Gillig Avantage T-40 diesel bus, spotted at the Centro garage on Sept. 5, 2008. This bus is shown in an all-white paint scheme, but this bus has since been repainted into Centro’s regular wavy-stripe livery.

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