ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) – TCAT’s Board of Directors has a new leader.

The Ithaca-based transit company says former Ithaca Mayor Laura Lewis has been named chair of the board. She replaces Tompkins County Legislator Deborah Dawson, who led the board last year during a period of transition that saw the retirement of former General Manager Scot Vanderpool and the appointment of current GM Matthew Rosenbloom-Jones.

Lewis says it will be ‘all-hands-on-deck’ in working to tackle the familiar problems of labor shortages and funding.

“We have unquestionable commitment from our local funders, more potential drivers in the hiring pipeline, new buses on the way, and more ridership than we have had since the pandemic started five years ago,” stated Lewis. “Still, we need to show both our federal and state funders how important transit is to their constituents while doing our best here at home to maintain the momentum we’ve achieved in recovering from the pandemic.”

Keep up with the latest TCAT news and bus routes here.