New Jersey Bus Service Update

 As New York and New Jersey begins to reopen, private New Jersey carriers are slowly coming back with service restored to many lines.  As of today, DeCamp has returned for the second time since it suspended service completely last summer.  It began running limited rush hour service on its 33, 44 and 66 lines.  Timetables available  at Decamp.com.  Other NJ private carriers such as Lakeland, Short Line, Community, Suburban have been  operating rush hour service only to and from New York on most of their routes for the past year, with little or no off-peak or weekend service as of now.  Rockland Coaches is only running a few rush hour runs, and its 14 and 21 lines still remain completely suspended.  NJ Transit has been running its regular bus and rail schedules with just some minor adjustments.  

In other news, Academy has lost all of its contract work with NJ Transit, with Coach USA about to take over the 2, 10, 22, 23, 88 and 119 routes.  Details here.   Academy was hit with a whistleblower lawsuit alleging many missed trips and doctoring missed trip reporting over many years.  NJ Transit has subsequently removed Academy from all of NJT's contract operations.  

And finally, some good NJBus news.  There has been movement in replacing the crumbling Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown.  The Port Authority has released new designs and is holding virtual scoping meetings on June 23 and June 24th and is accepting public comments through July 19th.

We hope everyone has stayed safe and is doing well and looking forward to better days ahead.

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 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.

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

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.  

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.