Hudson Link H07
Palisades Center to Tarrytown
Lower Hudson Transit Link, usually simplified to Hudson Link, is a system of relatively frequent bus service in the Lower Hudson Valley, linking the Route 59 corridor in Rockland County with Tarrytown and White Plains in Westchester County. This system began operations in 2018, as the successor to the Tappan ZeeXpress, which was a single line from Suffern to White Plains, operated by Transit of Rockland. The theory was that Hudson Link would be a regional BRT system, with plans to have busways all across Westchester and Rockland, for use mainly by these buses. However, most of these plans never really materialized. Hudson Link still bills itself as a BRT system, and its stops are BRT-quality (see my review of Suffern for that!), however, excluding the bus lanes on the Tappan Zee Bridge the rest of the system isn't BRT. That being said, it is still a frequent, comfortable, and mostly reliable way to travel across the Lower Hudson Valley, and for that, I commend it. This review is of the H07, which runs from Tarrytown to the Palisades Center Mall, via Nyack. Oddly, despite being the shortest route on the system, it has a peak-hour express variant, but, alas, my off-peak trip was local.
I technically didn't take the entire route, simply because of how huge the Palisades Center Mall is. I was going to get the bus from Lot J, but my previous connecting bus, the TOR 59, was running a bit late, so instead I got it from the second stop at the mall, Macy's. This should count because I still got it from within the mall complex. It counts, right...? right...?
The stop, featuring a system map
The bus pulling in
I boarded the surprisingly-nice-for-a-local-service coach bus, and we pulled out of the mall, and turned left on Route 59. We passed a small wetland, which was surrounded by the entrance roads to the mall, then passed over Route 303.
Why do people have an obsession with building malls in the middle of marshes?
Route 303
After passing over Route 303, and entered the village of Central Nyack, which was very suburban. We passed by a car dealership and a gas station, before stopping at the Central Nyack stop, on Mountainview Av. We continued into Nyack, and headed through the town on Main St.
Gas station on a stroad...ah yes, suburbia.
"CENTRAL NYACK MOUNTAIVIEW AV" - the bus's speakers
We went through Downtown Nyack, then deviated into the Nyack Bus Terminal by turning right on Cedar St, then right again on Artopee Way. After navigating around some TOR buses laying over, and making the stop, we turned left on Franklin St, and headed out of Nyack.
Sadly, this was the only picture I got of downtown Nyack
The Nyack bus terminal
We made the stop in South Nyack, then got on the Tappan Zee Bridge, using the convoluted system of ramps and access roads. We first turned left on Route 9W South, then turned left again on Route 9W North, before finally merging with the on-ramp to the bridge!
This is the clearest picture ever of the South Nyack stop.
Getting on the on-ramp.
We used the bus lane across the bridge, getting some nice views of the northern end of the Palisades, and then exited onto Broadway in Tarrytown. We turned right, passing some very large homes, then entered the very small downtown of Tarrytown. We turned left onto Central Av, went down the hill, and turned left on Cortlandt St, which became Depot Plaza as we pulled into the Tarrytown Metro-North Station, the end of the route.
The Tappan Zee Bridge!
Going down the hill
A much better picture than the one at the Palisades Center!
Route: Hudson Link H07 (Palisades Center to Tarrytown)
Ridership: According to an article in LoHud, the H07 got 16,749 riders in August 2019, which equates to about 550 people per day. My bus had about 40 riders, which for a reverse-peak trip, is very good.
Pros: It's a cheap and fast connection from the Hudson Line (and Bee-Line 1T and 13) to eastern Rockland. The bus lane on the Tappan Zee Bridge is also a huge benefit!
Cons: More bus lanes would be useful, especially along Route 59!
Nearby and Noteworthy: Nyack's downtown is really cute, and has many nice shops and restaurants! Also, the Palisades Center Mall is huge, if you like malls.
Final Verdict: 9/10
I knocked off a point because this is NOT a BRT route, in any stretch of the imagination. It is a great route, though!