Stewart's Shops Gives Employees Unlimited Bus Passes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Stewart's Shops is partnering with the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) to offer the Universal Access program to employees.

The pilot program, which launched in August, gives employees unlimited access to the CDTA route network, which serves the Capital District of New York State, including Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties.

To ride CDTA buses free of charge, program members just need to swipe their CDTA Navigator cards.

"We are proud to welcome Stewart's Shops to our growing CDTA family," said CDTA CEO Carm Basile. "Universal Access lets tens of thousands of Capital Region employees, students, faculty and staff navigate to and from their designated destinations using everything that CDTA has to offer. Adding Stewart's Shops to this expanding roster further reinforces our dedication to providing local businesses with new opportunities and advantages that guarantee a positive impact within the community."

Approximately 150 Stewart's Shops employees have joined the Universal Access program since it became available to them. The convenience store chain anticipates this number will grow to nearly 1,000 in the coming months.

"Being able to offer our Partners a reliable ride to and from work is yet another great benefit," said Stewart's Shops President Gary Dake. "CDTA's Universal Access will provide free transportation for our partners and will have a positive impact on the environment. This added benefit will not only help with staff retention, but also with future recruitment."

Saratoga Springs-based Stewart's Shops operates more than 345 c-stores in 31 counties across upstate New York and southern Vermont.