Weekday workers ride CDTA Route 117 between ALB and Wolf Road
CDTA Route 117 runs from Albany International Airport’s Main Terminal to Wolf Road and Colonie Center with trips about every 60 minutes on weekdays. It’s a basic local bus, not an express airport shuttle, and ride time from the terminal to Wolf Road sits in the 10–20 minute range depending on which stop you use.
The stop sits outside the Main Terminal at ALB; look for CDTA signage showing Route 117 toward Wolf Road/Colonie Center. A single ride costs roughly $1.50–$2.00, matching CDTA’s standard local fare rather than a premium airport rate, so daily airport staff and nearby hotel workers lean on it to keep commute costs down.
Service runs only Monday through Friday according to CDTA’s official schedule for Route 117, with no weekend trips at all, so landing on a Saturday or Sunday means this option simply does not exist. Weekday headways hover around one bus per hour instead of every 10–15 minutes, so you plan your arrival at the curb around the timetable, not the other way around.
The route map shows Route 117 looping between ALB, Wolf Road hotels and shops, and Colonie Center mall rather than driving down to State Street in downtown Albany. If you’re heading to the Capitol or the bus station, you’ll connect to another CDTA route on Wolf Road or at Colonie Center instead of expecting a one-seat ride from the airport.
Figure on 10 minutes for the short hop to a Wolf Road hotel and closer to 20 minutes if you stay on to Colonie Center at Central Avenue. With fares in the $1.50–$2.00 band, that’s far cheaper than a $20–$30 app ride, but the roughly 60-minute frequency means missing one bus can add a full hour to your door-to-door time.
Step-by-step: taking CDTA Route 117 from ALB
- 1. On CDTA’s site, pull up Route 117’s weekday schedule for “Albany County Airport–Wolf Road” and confirm there is a trip close to your landing time.
- 2. After collecting bags in the Main Terminal, follow signs to the public transit/bus stop area outside the terminal curb.
- 3. At the CDTA stop, check the posted Route 117 timetable and confirm the bus is labeled for Wolf Road/Colonie Center.
- 4. Have $2 in small bills or a CDTA fare product ready; pay the driver when boarding and ask them to call out your Wolf Road or Colonie Center stop if you’re unsure.
- 5. Exit at your hotel, Wolf Road stop, or Colonie Center, and transfer there to another CDTA route if you need downtown Albany or other neighborhoods.
One last tip: check the weekday-only calendar and the roughly hourly times the night before your trip so you don’t walk out of the Main Terminal and watch the tail lights of the only Route 117 for the next hour.