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.

George Washington Bridge Bus Station Renovations

Construction at the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal continues as part of its $183 million renovation.  On Monday August 25, the concourse level and the lower departure levels were closed leaving only the upper level available for bus arrivals and departures.  Passengers must use steep temporary stair cases to enter and leave the station.  A trailer has been set up on Fort Washington Avenue where passengers can use rest rooms, wait for their bus and buy tickets.  Passengers will also have to exit the terminal and walk outside to catch the A train at 177th and Ft. Washington Ave.

This phase of the construction is expected to last approximately one year.  More information about the renovations, and some renderings of what the terminal will look like are available here.

Bus service and ridership to the terminal has diminished over the past few years.  Hopefully the revived terminal will attract new riders as an alternative to the decrepit and overcrowded Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown.  We continue to advocate for increased bus service over the GWB to the terminal.   Innovative new express routes, service to midtown via the east side and express bus lanes at the bridge are all potential solutions at little additional investment to the infrastructure to help alleviate overcrowding at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.   

Five Routes Picked For Bergen Bus Rapid Transit

As we reported previously, Bergen County is studying the possibility of creating a Bus Rapid Transit system.  Officials have decided on five potential routes:

• Paterson to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal
• Montvale Park and Ride to the Port Authority Bus Terminal
• Garden State Plaza to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, via River Road
• Bergen Community College to the Secaucus Junction train station
• Englewood Hospital to the Secaucus Junction train station

A map of these proposed routes can be found here.

Although we applaud the idea for innovative new transit services, the Paterson to the GWB route is duplicative of the current NJT 171 as well as numerous jitneys servicing the corridor.  The Montvale route is duplicative of the Rockland Coaches Route 45 bus.  We don't see how these routes will provide a "Rapid" commute to New York without substantial improvements to the Port Authority Bus Terminal and express bus lanes to the GWB. 

The one interesting route is the proposed Garden State Plaza to the Port Authority via River Road.  This route would avoid the overcrowded XBL at the Lincoln Tunnel and could be a viable travel alternative if River Road can somehow be configured to truly create bus rapid transit.

Public Service Route 80 Hasbrouck Heights - New York (1971)

This is the old Route 80 from the GWB Terminal to Hasbrouck Heights.  Service over the GWB  was discontinued in the 1980's and rerouted between Passaic and Englewood as the B-80.  The service remains today as NJT's Route 780.

George Washington Bridge Bus Station Renovation

The Bergen Record is reporting that the long delayed renovation to the GWB Bus Terminal is set to begin and will take about two years to complete.  Bus service to the terminal has been decreasing dramatically over the years.  It remains to be seen whether the renovations will lead to increased ridership and service.