Green Street Station Now Open

After four months of construction, TCAT today announced the opening of its all new Green Street Station, 131 E. Green St., Suite 3 (next to Tompkins County Public Library) to offer its passengers a comfortable, café-style waiting area.TCAT is subleasing 450 feet of the 1,400 square foot station to an Ithaca favorite, gimme! coffee, referred to as “New York’s ultimate no-nonsense espresso bar and artisanal coffee roaster,” to serve both passengers and the public its fine selection of coffee and baked goods.The new TCAT station includes restrooms replete with a baby-changing station for patrons and a separate comfort station for TCAT’s bus operators. Passengers are not required to make purchases to use the station, but they now have an added on-site amenity. “We are extremely pleased to offer our valued TCAT passengers and hard-working bus drivers an environment that will add some ease to their daily lives,” said Joe Turcotte, TCAT general manager. “We are also happy to team up with a locally based company with such a stellar reputation for offering not only great coffee and baked goods, but a warm and inviting ambience.” Hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. TCAT’s outside shelters next to the library will remain in place to provide protection from the elements after hours “Ithaca is trend setting with something of this scope,” said Dan Tome, who managed the project for TCAT. “There are very few passenger-amenity stations like this throughout New York State. I am ecstatic that it is completed and that our tenant, gimme! coffee, is satisfied with the space. It’s a plus for TCAT passengers and also a plus for TCAT drivers who will have their own comfort station.”Tome noted that “TCAT passengers are welcome to relax at Green Street while waiting for our buses to arrive with no pressure to purchase a beverage.” TCAT and gimme! coffee are planning a Dec. 18 grand opening and will be providing more information on the event in the near future.Kevin Cuddeback, gimme! coffee CEO and founder, said he was pleased with the amount of business the new station/café has already attracted since the initial, soft opening on Thursday, Nov. 19.“Congratulations to TCAT and many thanks to John Snyder Architects, MacPherson Builders and subcontractors for building such a sunny and beautiful space,” Cuddeback said. “We’re very excited to join TCAT in their new location and to have the opportunity to brew and serve great coffee in the downtown core. Thanks TCAT!”TCAT passengers will also be able to purchase passes, including the soon-to-arrive new Tcard, TCAT’s new fare media similar to a debit/credit card at the gimme! coffee counter. TCAT expects to install a ticket-vending kiosk in late winter or early spring so that passengers can buy and recharge their Tcards. The $220,000 construction project was funded with a combination of federal and state funds as TCAT continues to enjoy increased ridership, fill a critical need in the local economy while taking less stress off traffic and the environment. TCAT, Inc (Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, Inc.) is a not-for-profit corporation that provides public transportation for Tompkins County and portions of Tioga and Schuyler counties. TCAT transports more than 3.3 million passengers every year covering a distance of more than 1.6 million miles.The fleet of approximately 50 buses currently includes 6 hybrid electric-diesel buses. TCAT also offers complementary ADA Paratransit services called Gadabout. For more information about TCAT, please visit www.tcatbus.com or call (607) 277-RIDE.