No More Roosevelt Island Seniors and Disabled Shoppers Bus To Costco and Long Island City Soon – Service Will Be Terminated As Part Of RIOC’s New Main Street Retail Master Leaseholder Agreement With Hudson Related

Image of Long Island City Costco From Roosevelt Island via Bridge & Tunnel Club Did you know that the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp ( RIOC ) provides a shoppers bus for senior citizen and disabled residents? According to RIOC:

The Shoppers Bus service is available for seniors and disabled persons every Tuesday and Wednesday at the Senior Center (546 Main Street). Seniors and/or aide must have identification available before boarding the bus. Children are not allowed to ride the Shoppers Bus. Adults 18 and over will be allowed on the SB only if they are assisting a senior or disabled person. COSTCO shoppers must bring shopping bags and/or cart for groceries.

Participants of the Shoppers Bus are encouraged to notify the Senior Center 1 day in advance prior to boarding. Please contact Rema Townsend, Director of the Senior Center, at 212-980-1888 to be added to the SB list.

That is about to change with the new Roosevelt Island Main Street Retail Master Leaseholder Agreement. As first reported by Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Planning Committee Chair Frank Farance commenting on this post:

…I’ve heard that RIOC is required to discontinue the seniors’ shoppers bus because of a contract provision in the master lease agreement. (I’m waiting for written confirmation on this….

In order to find out if it was true that the Shoppers Bus was being discontinued, on October 26 I sent the following message to RIOC President Leslie Torres:

Is it true that as part of the Roosevelt Island Main Street Retail Master Leasehold Agreement with Hudson Related, RIOC has agreed to discontinue the Seniors Shopper’s Bus? If so, why and when will the Shoppers Bus be terminated?

Please provide a copy of the Main Street Retail Master Leasehold Agreement so that I can make it public on the Roosevelt Islander Blog.

Thank You.

and followed up earlier today with the same message. Have not received a reply as of the time of this post. This morning, I sent the following message to the Hudson/Related Master Leaseholder Principal David Kramer:

I have been advised that the Roosevelt Island Shoppers Bus that transports Senior Citizens and Disabled people from Roosevelt Island to stores in Long Island City is required to be terminated by RIOC according to the terms of the Main Street Retail Master Lease Agreement.

Is that true? If so, do you have any comment for the Roosevelt Islander Blog on the reason why this service is being terminated and when will the Shoppers Bus be terminated?

Thank you.

Within hours, Mr. Kramer replied:

The retail study report recommended ending the Shopper’s Bus. It was memorialized in the recent lease agreement, but the genesis was the retail consultant’s recommendation.

More information on the Roosevelt Island Main Street Retail report referenced in Mr. Kramer’s reply is here. Below is the retail consultant’s, Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates , recommendation regarding the Roosevelt Island Shoppers Bus (page 34):

… RIOC operates a Shoppers Bus, which departs at 10:30 a.m. on Monday and Tuesday mornings and that takes residents to the Broadway Shopping Center, at the intersection of 21st Street and Broadway.This shopping center is also within walking distance of the Broadway business district. Once a month, the Shoppers Bus travels to the Costco Wholesale store located at Vernon Boulevard and Broadway, although given its infrequency, this service is primarily geared towards and used by more elderly shoppers.While the Shoppers Bus is an excellent service for those residents who utilize it, it clearly represents a major source of leaked spending.The RIOC should consider strategies to shift some of this spending to Main Street. One idea would be to eliminate the bus and provide coupons and other subsidies to elderly, disabled and low-income residents to encourage Main Street spending….