Port Authority Finally Begins Planning New Bus Terminal

The Port Authority has finally begun planning for a new mid-town bus terminal to replace its over-crowded and crumbling bus terminal.  They have implemented a design competition and hope to select the winning design by next September.  Officials estimate the cost of the new terminal to be approximately $10 billion. We see this as a step in the right direction, but it is a painfully slow process and will not alleviate any of the current problems with the terminal. Please click here for more on this story.

NJBUS Pic of the Week

Rockland Coaches Route 14K at GWBBS in 2014

NJBUS Pic of the Week

Trans-Bridge Lines entering Lincoln Tunnel August 2015

NJBUS Pic of the Week

NJT 165T at Lincoln Tunnel August 2015

The New NJT Mobile App - Your Ticket and More

NJ Transit unveiled the newest version of its Mobile App yesterday. Users can still purchase and display their NJT bus and rail tickets using the MyTix feature, but this version of the app does even more.  It  incorporates Mybus and DepartureVision that show in real time when your bus or train will arrive (or how late it will be). Users can also find bus and rail schedules and use Trip Planner to plan their route.  These features were previously only available on the NJT mobile website.

The Android version of the app is available for free download in the Google Play Store here.

The Ipad/Iphone version of the app is a free download at the iTunes store.  Click here for more info.

Port Authority Gate Shuffle - September 8, 2015

DeCamp Bus Route 33 seen today at newly reassigned lower level gate.

The Great Port Authority Bus Terminal Gate Shuffle commenced today to some minor rider confusion but overall went relatively smoothly.  Hundreds of Port Authority and NJT employees wearing shiny yellow uniforms were on hand to help riders find their buses.  Overall, 55 bus routes were re-assigned to new departure gates.  Hopefully the new assignments will help alleviate congestion in the terminal but only time will tell. A new expanded facility and more improvements are still greatly needed. 

For more details on the new gate assignments, please see our previous post and also the Port Authority website.

Port Authority Bus Terminal Gates Shuffling -- Effective September 8, 2015

Get ready for some commuter confusion at the Port Authority beginning in September.  As we previously reported, officials at the Port Authority Bus Terminal will be reassigning gates for many NJ Transit and private bus lines effective September 8, 2015.  Affected gates are on the third and fourth floors of the terminal.  Affected NJT lines include routes 107, 108, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 122, 124, 129, 139, 144, 151, 153, 155, 157, 160, 161, 163, 164, 165, 168, 190, 194, 195, 197, 198, 199, 321.  Some gate changes are only for late night departures depending on the line.  Full details regarding the new NJT gate assignments can be found here.

Lakeland Bus Lines that previously departed from gates 401-405 will now depart from Gates 206-207.  More info can be found here

DeCamp Bus Lines will be moving to the lower level of the South Wing using Gates 12-20.  An alert on their website currently breaks out the new route assignments.

Community Coach will be assigned to Gates 412-413 for its Route 77 line.

Rockland Coaches:

Route 45 will be reassigned to Gates 410-411.
Routes 46, 47 will be reassigned to Gate 411.
Routes 9 and 49 will still depart from Gate 208 until 10PM.  Later trips will depart from Gate 410.  Routes 11A, 14E, 20, 21T will still depart from Gate 220 until 10PM.  Later trips depart from Gate 411.

Shortline buses will be assigned to Gates 401-409.

The new gate assignments will supposedly allow buses to move more effectively within the building which could alleviate delays.  Only time will tell.  In the short run, we think there is going to be a lot of confused commuters and platform crowding as commuters try to find their buses on September 8th.  Hopefully officials will do a better job at communicating these changes to the public than they have in the past.

More details can be found on the Port Authority website.

Port Authority to Realign Some Bus Gates at Terminal This Fall

The Port Authority will be realigning certain NJT gates and Coach USA gates starting this September at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.  Gates affected will be on the third and fourth floors of the terminal. This is part of the effort to reduce delays and improve movement of buses into and out of the terminal.  It will be years until major renovations or a new terminal will be built so hopefully these changes will help alleviate some of the overcrowding and congestion that has been plaguing the terminal for years.  For more on the story, click here.

NJT Officially Raises Fares 9% and Cuts Service

Despite hundreds of complaints from irate transit riders at nine public hearings, and thousands more across social media, the NJ Transit Board has officially approved the 9% fare increase and service cuts it first proposed back in April.  Besides the fare increase, NJT will cut the last two trains of the evening on the Pascack Valley Line and Montclair-Boonton line.  They are also cutting service on several bus lines as we first described here.  Full details on the fare hikes and service cuts can be found on the NJT website.  Meanwhile, Governor Christie and the State Legislature have done nothing to provide additional funding for NJT which led to the fare hikes.  Meanwhile, the state's gas tax hasn't been increased since 1988.  This will only lead more people to ditch NJT and drive - creating even more traffic congestion throughout the state and at the bridges and tunnels.

NJ Live Bus

Want to see exactly where your bus currently is in real time?  How about where every NJT bus is currently located on the map?  Check out NJ Live Bus.  This cool website is not only informative in showing you exactly where the bus is, it is fun to watch the buses drive around the map!

NJBus Briefs May 2, 2015

David Wildstein Pleads Guilty in GWB BridgeGate Scandal and Two Others Indicted.  The New York Times reports that David Wildstein, a former Port Authority official and a high school friend of Governor Christie, pleaded guilty at the United States District Court in Newark to conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy against civil rights in the GWB BridgeGate Scandal when toll lanes were closed in Fort Lee because the mayor didn't endorse Christie.  Two other former Port Authority officials, Bill Baroni and Bridget Anne Kelly, were charged conspiracy to commit fraud among other counts.  Click here for the full story.

No standees allowed on new CNG buses.  NJT's new MCI compressed natural gas buses can't handle the weight of standing room only passengers and won't pick up standees once the buses are full.  The buses, based out of the Howell garage, seat 57 passengers and run on the Route 9 routes including the 139.  Click here for the full story.

NJT Pays Fair Lawn Couple for Bus By-Pass.  A couple from Fair Lawn received a check from NJ Transit for $170 when they complained about the 164 bus passing them by causing them to miss the theater in New York.  Apparently the bus wasn't a full CNG bus.  Click here for the full story.

Rockland Coaches Fare Increase Effective May 1, 2015

Bus riders of private bus lines in Northern New Jersey and Rockland County are also facing fare increases.  Rockland Coaches is quietly raising fares for the second consecutive year on May 1.  The new fares are posted on their website and can be found here. 

NJT recently announced a potential 9% fare increase for this fall.

NJT Proposed 9% Fare Hike and Service Cuts for Fall 2015

It looks like New Jersey bus and rail commuters will once again be paying more for less.  NJT is proposing a 9% fare increase and some rail and service cuts beginning in September 2015. 

The proposed bus cuts mostly involve bus routes serving South Jersey:

419 Camden – Pennsauken – Burlington:  Proposed Elimination of Service Between Riverside and Burlington City

463 Woodbury – Avandale Park-Ride: Proposed Elimination of the Last PM Trip in Each direction

307 Freehold – Great Adventure: Proposed Service Discontinuance

318 Philadelphia – Great Adventure: Proposed Service Discontinuance

655 Princeton – Plainsboro: Proposed Service Discontinuance

872 Morristown – Route 10 – Livingston:  Proposed Elimination of Service Between Mack-Cali (Parsippany) and Livingston Mall

 

Two late night trains out of Hoboken are also on the chopping block:  The 12:45AM Pascack Valley Line train and the 12:32AM Montclair Boonton Line train.

A series of public hearings are scheduled for next month including one on May 20 from 5:30-8:30PM in Hackensack at The Learning Center, 4th Floor, One Bergen County Plaza. 

For further information, including the new higher fares and the other hearing times can be found here.

Possible NJT 9% Fare Increase

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that NJT may announce a 9% fare increase as early as this week.  The increase would be the first in five years but comes at a time when delays and infrastructure issues for both rail and bus commuters are at an all time high.   No official word as of yet regarding the fare increase or whether there will be any service cuts. 

Another Long Commute Home For Port Authority Bus Terminal Commuters.

A bus fatally hit a man inside the Port Authority Bus Terminal leading to massive delays inside and outside of the terminal.  The second and fourth floors were completely shut down due to overcrowding.  Buses were delayed well over an hour and traffic on 495 in to the Lincoln Tunnel was backed up for miles. 

Buses sat outside the terminal as well as on the approaches to the Lincoln Tunnel.  NJT rail was cross-honoring tickets, but NJT made little other contingency plans.  Trains were delayed out of Penn Station because of problems with the Portal Bridge.

Buses could have been diverted to Secaucus Junction and/or the GWB terminal to help alleviate congestion until the investigation and scene was cleared.  No such contingencies were put into place.  This lead to another very long commute home. 

More on the story here and here.

Our condolences go out to the family of the man who was killed inside the terminal.

NJT Monthly My Tix App Now Available for NYC Interstate Bus Riders

NJT announced today the introduction of the My Tix Monthly Bus Pass for NYC bus commuters.  This is great news for those bus passengers who are tired of waiting in long lines to buy their monthly passes each month from ticket windows or ticket vending machines.  Click here to download the Android version and here for the iPhone app. 

UPDATED BUS SERVICE INFORMATION JANUARY 27

New Jersey was not hit as hard as originally forecast from the storm.  Some operators restored service by this afternoon.  This is the latest information we have.   

NJ Transit restored  bus service by 11AM today.

Rockland Coaches  suspended service today.

Shortline Bus  suspended service today.

DeCamp Bus Lines was operating as of 10AM today.

Lakeland Bus was running some service as of this afternoon.

Suburban Transit appears to be suspended for today.

Ameribus/Saddle River Tours  suspended service on the 11C and 20/84 routes and its AC runs today.

IT APPEARS THAT ALL SERVICE WILL BE RESTORED BY THE JAN 28 MORNING RUSH.  PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR CARRIER TO CONFIRM THEIR OPERATING STATUS.

BUS SERVICE ALERT: NJ Bus Service Suspended For Blizzard January 26-27

BUS SERVICE CANCELLATIONS DUE TO BLIZZARD JANUARY 26-27

NJ Transit has suspended all transit operations this evening with the impending blizzard.  The last buses departed at 8 PM.  There will be no service on Tuesday January 27. 

Rockland Coaches has also suspended service as of 9PM this evening.  They will not operate on Tuesday January 27.

Shortline Bus has suspended service and will not operate Tuesday January 27th.

DeCamp Bus Lines will be suspending operations as of 8.15PM this evening.

Lakeland Bus is suspending service as of 8PM this evening.

Suburban Transit is suspending service as of 9PM this evening.

Ameribus/Saddle River Tours has suspended service on the 11C and 20/84 routes and its AC runs on Tuesday January 27th.

We hope all commuters get home safely during the storm.  It looks like everything will be shut down in NJ on Tuesday.  Please check with your carriers for resumption of service.