Coach USA has officially taken over operations of the Hudson Link commuter bus network, replacing longtime operator Transdev following months of complaints over service disruptions, canceled trips and unreliable bus tracking.

The transition, directed by the New York State Department of Transportation, took effect over the weekend of June 27–28.

The change comes after mounting frustration among Hudson Link riders, including complaints about so-called “ghost buses” — scheduled buses that failed to arrive or disappeared from real-time tracking systems.

Commuter advocates have been pushing state officials to address the ongoing reliability problems, citing driver shortages, last-minute cancellations and difficulties obtaining accurate information about arriving buses.

Under the new operator, officials are looking to improve the reliability of scheduled service while introducing a new digital tracking and ticketing system.

As part of the transition, riders are being directed to register for a new Hudson Link mobile app for ticketing and real-time bus information. Some temporary issues involving ticket vending machines, schedules and other digital services may occur as the new system is rolled out.

NYSDOT also conducted safety and ADA-compliance inspections of the Hudson Link fleet ahead of the transition.