Broome County Health Department has partnered with BC Transit to offer free transportation to vaccination appointments ahead of the 2025-26 school year with support from Broome County Executive Director Jason Garner.
All BC Transit routes will be providing free rides for those taking their child to a vaccination appointment — just let the driver know when you board.
Free rides will begin July 1 and run until Oct. 31.
The county health and transportation departments reviewed data from the previous school year and found many students could not start classes on time “because they simply did not have a convenient way to get to a vaccination center,” said Broome County Public Transportation Commissioner Gregory Kilmer.
BC Transit has routes in both urban and rural areas. For residents who need assistance getting to a vaccination center, contact BC Transit to plan out your trip.
“It’s a community-wide effort,” said Broome County Health Program Director Heather J. Ryan.
“We want to get started now because some of those immunizations may take a while,” said Ryan, “…if it’s a multidose series then we want to give them enough of an opportunity to be up to date and protected by the time they start the school year.”
Need help finding a doctor or vaccination sites?
If your child has a primary care doctor, make an appointment to schedule their vaccinations for the new school year.
There are organizations in Broome County that can help patients navigate health insurance plans and find providers in the area, including Mothers & Babies Perinatal Network and the Southern Tier Independence Center.
The BCHD said most of the pediatric and family medicine practices in Broome County participate in the Vaccines for Children program, “which can provide vaccines at no or low-cost to children who are uninsured or underinsured, children who are Medicaid eligible, and children who are American Indian or Alaska Native.”
Weekday bus routes in Broome County
All routes except the 48 BU-Oakdale Mall Express and the 91 Express run Monday through Friday. Here are the locations on BC Transit’s weekday bus routes.
3 Park Ave. – travels from BU Junction, Ross Park Zoo and to Binghamton General Hospital
5 Vestal Ave. (outbound) – travels from BC Junction, University Plaza then to the BU Union.
5 Vestal Ave. (inbound) – travels from BU Mohawk, University Plaza then to BC Junction.
7 Clinton St. (outbound) – travels from BC Junction, Prospect & Glenwood, Legacy Bay and then to Oakdale Mall.
7 Clinton St. (inbound) – travels from Oakdale Mall, Prospect & Glenwood, and then BC Junction.
8 Front St. (outbound) – travels from BC Junction, SUNY Broome then to Park & Ride.
8 Front St. (inbound) – travels from Park & Ride, SUNY Broome then to BC Junction.
12 Conklin Ave. (outbound) – travels from BC Junction, Conklin & Tompkins to Saratoga Terrace.
12 Conklin Ave. (inbound) – travels from Saratoga Apartments, Conklin & Tompkins and then to BC Junction.
15 Leroy St. (outbound) – travels from BC Junction, Floral & Burbank to BU Union.
15 Leroy St. (inbound) – travels from BU Union, Floral & Burbank to BC Junction.
17 Johnson City (roundtrip loop) – travels from BU admissions, Main & Avenue B, Prospect & Glenwood, Legacy Bay, Prospect & Glenwood, Main & Willow then circling back to BU. This includes stops at Johnson City Walmart, Oakdale Commons, and UHS Wilson Hospital.
28 Robinson St. (roundtrip loop) – travels from BC Junction, Carlisle Apartments, GBH Center then back to the Carlisle Apartments and finishing the route at BC Junction until 6 p.m.
35 Endicott-Binghamton (outbound) – travels from BC Junction, Main/Avenue B, Oakdale Commons, Hooper/Watson, Wash/Broad then to Glen Tech Park.
35 Endicott-Binghamton (inbound)- travels from Glen Tech Park, Wash/Broad, Hooper/Watson, Oakdale Commons, Main/Willow then to BC Junction.
40 Chenango St. (outbound)- travels from Binghamton Plaza, Chenango & Nowlan then to Park & Ride from 6 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.
40 Chenango St. (inbound) – travels Park & Ride, Chenango & Nowlan, Binghamton Plaza to the BC Junction from 5:25 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
47 Vestal-Endicott (outbound)- travels from BU Union, Parkway Plaza, Town Square Mall then to Wash/North.
47 Vestal-Endicott (inbound)- travels from Wash/North, Town Square Mall then to BU Union.
51 K Commuter (outbound)- travels from BC Junction, Industrial Park, Rogers, Frito Lay and then to Atkore. Other stops along this route include Broome County Library, NYSEG and the Greater Binghamton Healthcare Center.
51 K Commuter (inbound)- travels from Willow Run, Frito Lay, Rogers, Industrial Park then to BC Junction.
53 Corporate Park (outbound)- travels from BC Junction, Conklin & Tompkins then to Corporate Park.
53 Corporate Park (inbound)- travels from Corporate Park, Conklin & Tompkins then to BC Junction.
57 Shoppers Special (roundtrip loop)- travels from BC Junction, Lordes Hospital, Digman, Town Square Mall, Mohawk, back to Guthrie Lourdes Hospital, and then BC Junction.
Transfer routes are available at BC Junction, Town Square Mall, BU Union, Oakdale Mall, Front/Main, Main/Willow, Washington/Main and Chenango Park & Ride.
Kalyn Grant reports on public service issues for the Press & Sun-Bulletin, focusing on schools and community impact. Have a story to share? Follow her on Instagram@KalynCarmen and on Facebook underKalyn Kearney. Get in touch atkcgrant@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: BC Transit will give free bus rides for back-to-school vaccine appointments in 2025
Reporting by Kalyn Grant, Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin / Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
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