Saddle River Tours 11C and 20/84 Official Service Termination Notice effective January 25, 2020

The Port Authority has officially given notice that the last day of service on Saddle River Tours'  Routes 11C and 20/84 into and out of the George Washington Bridge Bus Station will be Friday January 24th.  Service on these lines has been sporadic at best over the last couple of years with numerous cancellations and entire days without service.  The Port Authority is advising riders to use Rockland Coaches 11A and 20T lines as alternatives.  Rockland Coaches has likewise been plagued with delays and cancellations so we are advocating for NJT to take over these routes, or incorporate them into their existing network.  We are reaching out to local government officials and NJ Transit and encourage all riders to do the same.  

Unfortunately, the 11A and 20T do not go to the George Washington Bridge so riders will have to transfer in Englewood or at Route 4 to a NJT bus or Jitney to go over the bridge, or to use the New York City MTA to reach their destination.   Other alternate routes for northern riders include the NJT 165 and Rockland Coaches 14, 46 and 47 to midtown as well as the Pascack Valley rail line.  For riders of the southern portions, alternates include the NJT 186 and 178 to the GWB, the NJT 167 to midtown.

Here is the Official Notice from the Port Authority:

The Port Authority of NY and NJ has decided to terminate the operating agreement with Saddle River Tours to operate at the Port Authority's George Washington Bridge Bus Station (GWBBS) starting on January 25, 2020. Saddle River Tours has an ongoing pattern of prolonged financial delinquencies, non-responsive communication, and recent abandonment of service to commuters.

Saddle River Tours’ Route 11C has 8-weekday arrivals, 7-weekday departures, and limited weekend service; the route begins in Spring Valley, New York and makes several stops in Rockland County, New York and Bergen County, New Jersey. Route 20/84 has 3-weekday arrivals and departures and no weekend service; it begins in Tappan, New York and makes several stops in Bergen County, New Jersey. These two routes combined serve approximately 200 customers each weekday.

Customers affected by the Saddle River Tours termination have the option to take the Rockland Coach bus service, offering service similar to that of Saddle River, with the exception of an end destination of the Midtown Manhattan Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) rather than the GWBBS.

-Route 11C passengers may take Rockland Coach bus 11A into the Port Authority Bus Terminal (8th Ave & 42)

-Route 20/84 passengers may take Rockland Coach bus 20T into the Port Authority Bus Terminal (8th Ave & 42)

The Port Authority has been in contact with Rockland Coach and has been assured that the Rockland Coach routes have capacity to service Saddle River Tours commuters. For additional information regarding alternative services, please contact Rockland Coach at (201) 263-1254 or visit the website, https://www.coachusa.com/contact.

Saddle River Tours 11C, 20/84 and 55 UPDATE

We have received reports that Saddle River Tours is back operating these routes at least for the time being, and likely on an interim basis.  If you plan on taking any of these buses, we suggest calling the carrier to confirm they are in operation, and suggest you have a back-up plan just in case.  We hope resolution is worked out quickly.  

Thanks to everyone who has written and commented to the NJBUS Blog with updates and information and we will try to keep you posted.  Feel free to continue to contact us at njbus86@yahoo.com with any comments, questions, updates, or questions about alternate service.  

Saddle River Tours Routes 11C, 20/84 and 55

All - Saddle River Tours terminated operation of its routes 11C and 20/84 to the GWB Bus Station and Route 55 to midtown earlier this week.  The termination was without notice.  As far as we know, there are contingency plans being worked on to run these lines in some capacity in the near future.  We will post any information as soon as we get it.  Feel free to e-mail me as well if anyone has information at njbus86@yahoo.com.

One of the Sorriest Bus Stops In the USA - Englewood Route 4 --Updated October 2

A bus stop on Route 4 West in Englewood has made the Streetsblog USA Final Four of "Sorriest Bus Stops" in the Country.  The stop is used by Jitneys that run between Paterson and the George Washington Bridge Bus Station as well as NJT's 171 and 175 lines.  The Saddle River Tours/Ameribus  11C  line also serves the bus stop.  Like many of the bus stops along Route 4, there is no bus shelter.  The blog notes that riders have to climb over the guardrail or walk along the busy highway to exit.  The stop is heavily used by bus and jitney riders going to the new housing developments in the area.  There is no cross-over to get to the east-bound side of the highway where there are also new housing developments.  The stop is near the proposed future Route 4/Englewood Hudson Bergen Light Rail Stop along the Northern Branch.  We hope that NJT creates an upgraded bus stop on Route 4 in both directions with direct connections to the light rail extension - if it ever is built.

This also draws attention to the sorry state of the bus stops along the entire length of Route 4.  Many lack shelters, are poorly lit, or require a dangerous walk along the busy highway.  Something should be done to improve the stops before a bus passenger is severely injured.

Unfortunately, Englewood lost to Munhill, PA in the Final Four.  A stop in Seattle just won the title of Sorriest Bus Stop for 2017.  Apparently we can't even be successful at being Sorriest!

UPDATE:  On October 2, 2017, NJ Transit announced that effective October 9, 2017 this bus stop is being eliminated at the request of the City of Englewood and advising riders to use the Grand Avenue stop.

George Washington Bridge Bus Station Reopens On Tuesday May 16 -- Updated

Good news for riders who use the George Washington Bridge Bus Station.  The long delayed renovation project at the Station is almost completed and reopened for bus passengers on Tuesday May 16. The construction lasted two years longer than anticipated due to problems with the contractors and developers. NJ Transit has also announced that cash fares will no longer be accepted for its routes that service the terminal in order to speed boarding and departures. Riders will have to purchase tickets from either the windows, the ticket machines or use the NJT Mobile App.  There was plenty of TV coverage today about the re-opening including from WNBC-TV, and NY1.  We will have additional reports in the near future.



The new gate assignments for GWBBS routes are:

NJT Route     Gate

171                 12

175                 13

178                 17

181                 14

182                 18

186                 15

188                 11

Coach USA/Rockland

9A              Gate 5

Ameribus/Saddle River Tours

11C            Gate 4

20/84          Gate 4


Express/Spanish Transportation Jitneys

Gates 20 and 21

Possible NJ Transit Train Strike -- Bus Commuting Options

Negotiations continue to avert an NJ Transit Rail Strike on March 13.  NJT has set up a rail strike contingency plan involving limited rush-hour bus service from several park and rides throughout the state.  It also is offering expanded rush-hour bus service along several bus lines that run near several of its rail lines.  The contingency plan is only expected to accommodate about 40% of its displaced rail riders.  In addition, other NJT bus service will be curtailed including the River Road service on the 156R, 158 and 159R routes which would only run to the Port Imperial Ferry Terminal instead of to New York.  Riders of those lines would have to take a ferry into New York.  Route 126 would also only run in a reverse direction to the Hoboken PATH station in the morning, and from the PATH station in the evening, completely bypassing New York.

Other options for Northern NJ passengers include using the GW Bridge Bus Station services, including NJT Routes 171, 175, 178, 181, 182, 186 and 188.  Rockland Coaches Route 9A, and the Ameribus 11C and 20/84 lines.  This could avoid what will be even longer delays at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

We suppose there will be some sort of last minute deal made to avert a long-term strike. Unfortunately, it will be the NJ Transit bus and train commuters who have to pay even higher fares in the near future.

Complete NJT Strike Contingency Plans can be found here.

George Washington Bridge Bus Station Renovations Update

Major renovations continue at the George Washington Bridge Bus Station.  Only one platform is in use for all departures.  Rockland Coaches' 9A  and Saddle River Tours/Ameribus Routes 11C and 20/84 depart from the front of the terminal at "Zone A."  The jitneys depart from the middle zones and NJT routes depart from the rear zones.  Please see our previous post for additional information regarding the construction.


  


Passengers must climb the temporary staircase for all departing buses and jitneys.

Temporary Waiting Room on Ft. Washington Ave.

Rockland Coaches 9A waiting for departure to New City at the front of terminal by "Zone A." 

Ameribus/Saddle River Tours Route 11C to Spring Valley loading from Zone A.

NJT buses depart from the rear of the platform.

Saddle River Tours Taking Over the 11C and 20/84 Routes Effective May 5th

Saddle River Tours is taking over the soon to be discontinued Rockland Coaches 11C and 20/84 Routes beginning Monday May 5th with their new Ameribus Service.  They have cut one run on the 20/84 in each direction.  They have also cut several more 11C runs with the last bus leaving the GWB at 6:45 on weekdays.   The weekday 8:45PM trip to Spring Valley has been eliminated from the new weekday schedule, but it will continue to run on weekends.  They are also providing very limited weekend service on the 11C with only 3-4 buses in each direction. 

We wish them luck but this will not help increase ridership or alleviate the crowding at the PABT and Lincoln Tunnel.  To increase GWB ridership, innovative new services need to be introduced including exclusive bus lanes over the bridge, more convenient service, introduction of express runs, and service to midtown via the east side.  

Continued Confusion Surrounding Rockland Coaches Impending GWB Bus Cuts

With less than a week to go, the Journal News is reporting on the confusion surrounding the company's elimination of its 11C, 14K and 20/84 Routes to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal.  Many riders believe that the Rockland Route 20 to the Port Authority Bus Terminal is also being cut, which isn't the case.  The article notes that these routes only make up 5% of Rockland's revenue and account for 8% of its total passengers.  This is hardly surprising considering the company previously substantially cut back service on these routes.

There is also confusion regarding who will operate the 11C and 20/84 starting May 5th.  It has been announced that GWB service on the 14K, down to only 3 daily runs, will be discontinued.   Riders of the 11C and 20/84 still don't know who will operate the routes starting on May 5th, but there is continued speculation that NJ Transit may take over the routes in some form.