Paul Kirby in the Daily Freeman reports that Ulster County bus ridership is up 38 percent in last three months of 2022, after the rides became free. The Ulster County Area Transit, commonly known as UCAT, began free rides in October. Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger said, “The increase in ridership is exactly what we’d hoped to see with the elimination of fares, and since state funding is tied to ridership, this means more funding to the county to invest in public transit.” Ridership was 85,476 during the final three months of 2022 in Ulster County. Last August, the Ulster County Legislature, voted 16-7 to offer the bus at no cost for riders, with all Republicans voting against the measure. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.