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.

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. 

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.

Chasing New Jersey Chases the NJT 167

Chasing NJ seen on WWOR-TV Channel 9 weeknights at 10PM reported on Senator Loretta Weinberg's continued crusade to improve conditions for NJ Commuters at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.  Reporter Hank Flynn took a ride on the 167 from Glenpointe in Teaneck to the midtown terminal and back.  To no surprise, the first bus was a no show.  Click here to read the story and watch the video.  We continue to applaud Senator Weinberg for her advocacy for NJ commuters as well as Chasing NJ's coverage of the story.

December 11 Bus Rider Forum in Teaneck

Senator Loretta Weinberg and Assemblyman Gordon M. Johnson are hosting another Bus Rider Forum in Teaneck at the Richard Rodda Community Center on Thursday December 11 from 7:30-9:00 PM to address issues at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.  Representatives from the Port Authority and NJ Transit will also be there to answer questions.


Officials have recently changed the flow of buses at the terminal giving them 45 minutes to reach the terminal for the afternoon rush instead of 90 minutes to alleviate some of the congestion.  What do riders think?  Have conditions improved at the bus terminal?

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.

NJT Reports Buses are "Late" 32% of the Time

The Record is reporting on new data just released by NJ Transit that its buses have an on-time performance rate of just 68%.  NJT is using a new computerized system for tracking buses.  The report defines being "on time" as arriving at a scheduled stop between 1 minute before the scheduled arrival time and up to 6 minutes late.  More interesting is that the report states that 86% buses at the Port Authority Bus Terminal departed on time in June.  We find that statistic quite hard to believe. 

Delayed on NJ Transit

Social media these days is picking up much of the slack when it comes to reporting delays and over-crowding on NJ Transit's bus and rail service.  Who is better than frustrated riders who are stuck waiting for a bus or train to instantly report to fellow commuters about the delays?  One such Facebook and Twitter group called Delayed on NJ Transit  provides a convenient forum for NJ commuters to vent and to report delays so fellow riders can plan alternate routes.  The Twitter feed currently has over 1200 followers. 

The group also is conducting its own survey where NJ Transit commuters can give candid feedback regarding their commutes.

We commend this group on its efforts and recommend everyone to check these sites out - especially before the next commute.

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.

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. 

GWB Bus Station April 18, 2014 (updated)

NJBus visited the GWB Bus Station at rush hour on April 18, 2014.  Only three platforms are in service due to the terminal's reconstruction.  There is still uncertainty regarding which company will take over the 11C and 20/84 lines when Rockland Coaches discontinues service on May 4, 2014. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NJ Transit Executive Director Jim Weinstein to Step Down

The Star Ledger is reporting that Jim Weinstein is stepping down from his position as Executive Director of NJ Transit in March.  Weinstein has taken heat for leaving rail equipment in low lying areas that led to extensive damage during Hurricane Sandy.  More recently, the agency has been criticized for massive overcrowding of trains during the Super Bowl. 

Do you think Weinstein did a good job during his tenure or is it time for him to go in light of these recent problems?  Comments welcome below.

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.

Cross County Line (1971)

This is the Cross Bergen County Line schedule from 1971 between Oakland and Hackensack.  The service operated on a weekday trial basis.  It eventually became part of the Bergen County B-Line bus network as the B-2.  It is today's NJT Route 752.

Bergen County B1 Line (1981)

Here is a Bergen County B-Line B1 schedule from 1981 which ran between Edgewater and Paramus.  The route is today's NJT 751/755 line.

Maplewood Equipment Route 45

This is Maplewood Equipment's Route 45 from 1981.  It ran between Midland Park, Ridgewood, Hackensack and the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal.  Much of this route is today's NJT Route 175. 

2014 NY-NJ Regional Transit Map

The MTA has just published a NY-NJ regional transit map for the Super Bowl.  It is for rail lines between NY and NJ and looks great!

70-170 Maple Ave (1971)

Public Service's Route 70-170 between Paterson and Ramsey.  A truncated version of this route still runs today between Paterson and Ridgewood as the NJT Route 746.