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 and around Syracuse, though some routes extend to Auburn, Central Square, Oswego, and Tully.

Centro operates a fleet of about 200 buses, including Orion V, 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 was a 1987 Orion 01.507, shown parked behind the Centro garage on Sept. 18, 2004. This bus was 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 was 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 is 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.
	540 was seen again at the Centro garage on August 1^st, 2011. When this bus was transferred to the Call-a-Ride service, it was refit to hold seven wheelchair passengers, and it 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. All of the ex-RGRTA buses were retired in 2005.
	9901 is a 1999 Orion 05.501 CNG, one of seventy-eight Orion V buses delivered in 1999 and the first to be delivered 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.
	9905 is shown leaving the Carousel Center on August 1^st, 2011. This mall was opened in 1990 and underwent a massive expansion in 2012, and is now known as Destiny USA.
	9907 was spotted at the Centro garage on Sept. 5, 2008.
	9911 is shown at the Centro garage waiting to enter service on May 20, 2002.
	9912 was seen turning from Alexander Avenue onto Cortland Avenue near the Centro garage on August 1^st, 2011.
	9923 is shown on South Salina Street in downtown Syracuse on August 1^st, 2011.
	9931 is seen 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.
	2381 is another 2003 Orion V, seen on West Fayette Avenue on August 1^st, 2011.
	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 August 4, 2003.
	A Gillig Advantage, a New Flyer D40LF, an Orion VII and an Orion V were spotted parked at the Centro garage on August 1^st, 2011.

Motor Coach Industries

	629 was a 1985 MCI MC-9, shown parked at the Centro garage 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. The MC-9 coaches had been withdrawn from service in 2001 but were still on Centro property when this photo was taken.
	668 was a 1996 MCI 102D3, seen parked at the Centro garage on August 1^st, 2011.
	669 was another 1996 102D3, seen parked at the Centro garage on August 1^st, 2011.
	670 is shown dropping off riders on West Fayette Avenue in downtown Syracuse on Aug. 4, 2003.
	670 was seen again at the Carousel Center on Aug. 4, 2003. This bus then continued on toward Auburn.
	671 was spotted parked at the Centro garage on August 1^st, 2011. The last of the 1996 MCI coaches were withdrawn from service in 2009, but were still on Centro property in 2011.
	673 is shown parked in front of the Centro garage next to 9916. This photo was taken on Sept. 18, 2004.
	679 is a 2001 MCI 102D3, seen at the Centro garage on August 1^st, 2011.
	680 is another 2001 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 was a 1997 RTS WFD CNG spotted parked at the Centro garage on Sept. 18, 2004.
	9763 was another RTS WFD, seen here resting at the Centro garage on May 20, 2002.
	This RTS was 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.
	9765 is shown parked along with some older Orion V buses, at the Centro garage on Aug. 4, 2003. The RTS buses were retired in 2010 once the Orion VII NG CNG had been delivered.
	9772 is seen waiting on Warren Street at the corner with West Fayette Street on Aug. 4, 2003.
	9773 was 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.

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

	2500 is a 2005 New Flyer D40LF, shown at the Centro garage on August 1^st, 2011.
	2508 is another NFI D40LF, spotted on West Fayette Street in downtown Syracuse on April 30, 2007.
	2517 is 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.
	2523 was seen again boarding passengers on South Salina Street on August 1^st, 2011, by this time wrapped in an ad for a local law firm. Of the nineteen C40LF buses delivered to Centro in 2005, buses 2523 to 2533 were delivered with suburban seating, while buses 2534 to 2541 were delivered with local transit seating.
	2525 is another NFI C40LF, seen parked at the Centro garage on April 30, 2007.
	2532 was spotted at the Carousel Center, now Destiny USA, on August 1^st, 2011.
	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.
	2539 was seen again on South Salina Street on August 1^st, 2011.
	2541 was spotted on West Fayette Street on April 30, 2007.

Gillig Advantage T-40

	2701, 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 boarding riders on South Salina Street in downtown Syracuse on August 1^st, 2011.
	2705 is another 2007 Gillig Advantage hybrid, seen on South Salina Street on August 1^st, 2011.
	2707 is shown parked at the Centro garage on Sept. 4, 2007.
	2708 was spotted resting at the Centro garage with Orion V 538 on Sept. 4, 2007.
	2801 is a 2008 Gillig Avantage T-40 diesel bus, showing the regular Centro livery and seen parked at the Centro garage on August 1^st, 2011.
	2802 is another 2008 Gillig Advantage, spotted at the Centro garage on Sept. 5, 2008. This bus is shown in an all-white paint scheme, but it has since been repainted into Centro’s regular wavy-stripe livery.

Orion International VII Next Generation

	1002 is a 2010 Orion 07.501 NG CNG, spotted on West Fayette Street in downtown Syracuse with 9922 on August 1^st, 2011.
	1002 was seen again later in the day on August 1^st, 2011, this time on South Salina Street.
	1005 is another 2010 Orion VII NG, seen on South Salina Street on August 1^st, 2011.
	1005 was seen again loading riders at the main downtown transfer point on South Salina Street on August 1^st, 2011. These buses were the first Orion VII buses to be ordered by Centro with an order for eighteen buses, along with one for Centro of Oneida, and further orders were placed for the buses, with twelve ordered for 2011 and fifty-six ordered for 2012.
	1007 was spotted on South Salina Street on August 1^st, 2011.
	1011 is shown on South Salina Street near the downtown transfer point on August 1^st, 2011.

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