Bergen County Local Bus Route Contract Goes Back To Community Coach

Community Coach has recently taken back the local Bergen County Bus route contract from Saddle River Tours.  The Coach USA company reacquired the routes on April 2, 2019.  The 7 year contract was awarded to Saddle River about a year ago, but the company has reportedly had its share of problems with staffing enough drivers, late and cancelled buses, and accidents.  Although unconfirmed at the moment, we presume these issues had something to do with NJ Transit giving the contract back to Community Coach.  The contracted routes are the 751,752, 753, 755, 756, 762, 772 and 780 lines.

Saddle River Tours New Operator Of Bergen County Local Bus Routes

The Record has reported that Saddle River Tours has further expanded its footprint in New Jersey and commuter bus service by winning NJ Transit's contract to run the Bergen County Local Bus Routes.  We previously reported that it lost a bid last year due to a technicality that allowed Coach USA's Community Coaches to continue to run the service until it could be rebid.  Saddle River recently outbid Community Coach by almost $500,000 to win the contract to run the routes for 7 years.  These are the 751, 752, 753, 755, 756, 762, 772 and 780 lines.  We are glad to see them get this contract and wish them luck since they unfairly lost the bid in 2017.  Saddle River has also recently picked up other bus routes cancelled by other companies including Coach USA/Rockland's 11C and 20/84 routes as well as the Route 55 line, previously operated by Carefree Lines until they went under.

Saddle River Tours Wins Local Bergen Bus Routes Contract - Until It Doesn't

The Record is reporting that NJ Transit retracted a winning bid by Saddle River Tours for a seven year contract to operate eight Bergen County local bus routes. Coach USA's Community Coach lines has been operating the 751,752,753,755,756,762,772, and 780 routes under contract for the past seven years.  These routes carried almost a million passengers in 2016 according to NJT.  Saddle River actually submitted a lower bid than the incumbent Community Coach, and thought it had won the contract back in September.  However, it was recently notified that the bid was retracted on a technicality - because Community didn't have an opportunity to make the required oral presentation for the bid.  Community is maintaining the contract for another year - at a contract rate that is $720,000 MORE than Saddle River Tours' bid for the year.  That is an additional $720,000 that will be paid by New Jersey taxpayers at a time when transit funding is scarce.

In 2014, Saddle River took over Coach USA's 11C and 20/84 routes that run through Bergen County to the George Washington Bridge when Rockland Coaches abandoned them.  They were the only company to step in to provide the GWB service with the hope of expanding operations in Bergen and other counties.

NJT Board minutes call the contracting process a "competitive procurement process."  We don't see it.   The losing bid came in $720,000 lower than the winning bid for this year.  How is that competitive?  Coach USA likewise has a history of cutting bus service in Bergen County, yet is mysteriously awarded another year on the Bergen contract despite being outbid by Saddle River. We call shenanigans on the NJT Board.

We hope SRT can either successfully mount a legal challenge, or win the contract when it is up for bid in 2018.  This will be a lot tougher now that Coach USA knows its bidding strategy.  

Bergen County B-3/B-72 (1981)

Here is a Bergen County B-Line B-3/B-72 timetable from 1981.  These lines are today's NJT 753 and NJT 772 lines.