On Wednesday, September 14, Division of Community Resources Commissioner Laura Quigley announced that the Move Sullivan bus was expanding its service to the Town of Mamakating. She was joined by Sullivan County Manager Josh Potosek and Rolling V Executive Vice President Nick Vallone in the GMart parking lot in Wurtsboro for the announcement. Also present were Sullivan County District 4 Legislator Nicholas Salomone, Town of Mamakating Supervisor Mike Robbins, Mamakating Senior Club President John Lacey, and town councilmember Matthew Mordas.

Move Sullivan, a project started by Quigley and passed by Sullivan County Legislature, is operated by Rolling V transportation. It’s considered Sullivan County's first public transportation since the O&W railway line. Established in 2019, the project was designed to meet the growing transportation needs of Sullivan County’s elderly and low-income residents. Quigley saw the need for residents to have transportation to medical appointments, food shopping, and work. The county made surveys available to the residents of Mamakating several months ago, asking them to select route options for needed transportation.

Route D, the new Mamakating route, began service September 1. It connects to three other routes, making it possible for residents to travel from Bloomingburg to Liberty and points in between. Also new, Sullivan residents can ride the bus for free until 2023.

However, not all residents feel they are being represented with the Mamakating route. Although the bus goes to Bloomingburg, Blue Sky mobile park, GMart and the Mamkating Library on Sullivan Street, not all parts of the town are served. Even more, out of the 17 stops in Mamakating, 13 are concentrated in one cluster. Salomone said this is because of population density.

But there are other gaps. The bus, which is supposed to serve the elderly, does not stop at Horizons, a housing facility for elderly, disabled, and low-income residents. The closest stop for them is the one that goes to the library. For the residents of Horizons at Wurtsboro to get to that stop, they have to cross NY State Route 209, not an easy task for the able-bodied. In the vast area of the Town of Mamakating with 12,655 (US Census 2020) residents, there are plenty of areas in need of service, like the intricate weaving of tree-named streets in the Wurtsboro Hills area, with people eager to work and shop, but without transportation.

When asked about the discrepancies during the September 14 announcement, officials said Sullivan Street has flag stops, but that suggestions were encouraged. Since this is something new, not everyone might know about it yet; which might mean that we don’t yet know the transportation needs of Mamakating residents. It is a work in progress.

If a resident times it right, they can flag down the white Move Sullivan mini-bus when they see it approach while enroute. Keep in mind, the bus cannot pick up passengers from across the street. You must be at the established route section, or the same side of the street to ride. So, if a person wishes to ride the bus, they can wait at the Horizons bench, 224 Sullivan Street; and also at the Wurtsboro Hill sign across from Sullivan House Bar & Grill (formerly The Hunting Lodge), 544 Wurtsboro Mountain Road. Downloadable maps and schedules can be found on the Sullivan County government website. For questions, call 845-434-4102.