Transportation resources for students planning vaccination
The Division of Student Affairs offers the following information about services that may be available to help students get to vaccination sites in the region.
These options may not provide direct transportation to vaccination sites, but we’re publishing them here as they may be useful to members of our community as they plan their appointments. We will update this page as new options become available.
For more information about vaccine availability and to schedule your appointment, please visit the state’s Am I Eligible portal or the Ulster County Vaccine Resource Center.
Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT): This is the operator of the New Paltz Loop bus, as well as other routes connecting New Paltz to Kingston and Poughkeepsie. SUNY New Paltz students ride the New Paltz Loop and the Ulster-Pougheekpsie Link free, and pay a discounted fare of $0.75 for other bus lines with their student ID.
Update: Ulster County has announced they will offer free UCAT rides to anyone with a vaccination appointment. More info here.
The New Paltz Loop has stops at Tops, Walgreens and Dedricks pharmacies in the Village of New Paltz, where vaccination appointments may be available on a limited basis.
The UCAT R Route (New Paltz to Kingston) can be used to get to the vaccination site at the Hudson Valley Mall (former Best Buy). From New Paltz, you’ll need to take the R Route to the Hannaford’s in Kingston Plaza, then transfer to the Mall Loop Route to get the Hudson Valley Mall. Note that this option is available for weekday transit only.
The most current bus schedules, and information about COVID-19 protocols for riders, can be found at https://ulstercountyny.gov/ucat/bus-schedules.
Taxi/Rideshare options: Uber and Lyft are available in New Paltz 24/7 pending driver availability. You may have seen news about these companies offering free or discounted rides to vaccine appointments, but it appears these discounts are not presently available in New Paltz.
There are many taxi companies that serve our community as well, including New Paltz Taxi (845-255-1550) and Green Taxi (845-255-4733).