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.

Coronavirus Service Restoration

Several private NJ carriers are slowly bringing back service.  As always, please check with the carrier to see if they are operating and in what capacity.

Lakeland Bus has been operating 6 round trips between Dover and NYC since May 18th.  Schedule available here.

DeCamp is operating a limited schedule as of June 8 on its 33, 44 and 66 routes.

TransBridge is operating a reduced schedule to New York as of June 8.  Schedule available here.

Academy has been operating a modified schedule on some of its routes.  Schedule available here.

Shortline, Suburban, Community Coach, and Rockland Coaches  are operating limited rush hour service as of June 15.  Details here.

NJ Transit has been operating a modified weekday schedule throughout.  Details and links to individual schedules available here.

We will update this post as we get information on any other carriers.  Stay safe everyone!

Coronavirus Service Cuts - April 3 Update

A few more private bus carriers are completely suspending operations due to the Coronavirus.  NJT Bus continues to run, with decreased service.  They are also cross honoring with NJT rail, which is also running a decreased schedule.

Lakeland bus suspended operations effective April 2.  Details here.

Shortline bus will be suspending operations starting April 4.  Details here.

Suburban Transit, Rockland Coaches and Community Coach will also be suspending operations effective April 4. Details here.

Other carriers that have already suspended service include DeCamp and TransBridge lines.



Stay safe everyone.

Coronavirus Service Cuts - March 30, 2020 Update

NJ Transit has implemented a reduced schedule on most of its bus routes.  Some of its routes aren't operating at all, while many are running on a Saturday schedule.  More information is available here.  NJT is also requiring passengers to enter through the rear door for its urban bus routes and is not allowing passengers to sit in the first three rows to protect its drivers.

Some other updates:

Rockland Coaches is operating on a Sunday schedule, Monday through Friday only, with some additional 11X service.  They aren't operating any weekend service.  Details here.

ShortLine is operating every two hours on a combined Orange and Bergen County service.  Schedule available here.  Other ShortLine routes have been greatly reduced, details here.

Stay safe everyone!

Some Carriers Temporarily Reducing Service Due To Coronavirus

With social distancing the new normal and many people working remotely, ridership on New Jersey's bus routes has dropped dramatically.  There are reports that NJ Transit ridership has decreased by 40% and the agency may implement a reduced schedule once ridership drops 50%.

Some private carriers have already temporarily curtailed service.  Riders should check with their carriers for information.  We have some updates here:

Academy has implemented reduced "Schedule B" service on several of its routes.  These schedules can be found here.

Community Coach has greatly reduced service on its 77 line with just 3 nyc-bound trips and 4 trips now operating out of New York.  Schedule found here.

Rockland Coaches is now operating on a Saturday Schedule, with some additional express service available.  Details here.

Suburban Transit is also operating with an adjusted weekday schedule, more info available here.

Short Line has also cut back service, more info available here.

Decamp is also cutting service.  Details available on its Twitter feed and website.

Lakeland says they will be making service adjustments and has cut a few runs.  More info here.

If you are now working remotely, and have an unused monthly ticket, you may be able to get a refund from your carrier.

Stay safe everyone!

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.

NJ Bus Commuters Fix It List For Governor Murphy

Although NJ Transit Rail Riders have been getting the most press about the crumbling rail infrastructure in NJ, bus riders have their share of complaints as well.  Larry Higgs has an excellent article describing many of them, including broken down buses, delays at the Port Authority Bus Terminal and in the Exclusive Bus Lane and Lincoln Tunnel.  Hopefully NJ Transit and the Port Authority are reading and listening to these complaints along with those of rail passengers.  The article can be found here.

Rockland Coaches New Weekend Express Route From Rockland and Northern NJ -- Beginning December 2

Rockland Coaches has announced a new weekend express bus serving Spring Valley, NY, the Exit 14 Park and Ride and the Montvale NJ Park and Ride off the Garden State Parkway beginning December 2.  They are offering express bus service to the Port Authority every 90 minutes from these park and rides with the last trip leaving New York at 11:30PM.  Seems like a good idea considering the only other options from Rockland County and Northern Bergen County are either local buses that can take as much as 90 minutes to get into New York or the slow Pascack Valley line train, other than a couple of express runs to Pearl River on weekends.  We wish them luck and hope the service is successful.  More details are available on the Coach USA/Rockland website here and the schedule is available here.

Summer of Hell For New Jersey Bus Riders

NJT Bus Riders switching buses after break down on NJ Turnpike

Riders of NJ Transit trains are not the only ones experiencing a "Summer of Hell" due to the ongoing track work being performed by Amtrak at Penn Station.  The Penn Station summer track work caused cancellations and diverted hundreds of trains away from Penn Station - especially trains on the Morris and Essex Lines.  Many scheduled train runs were cancelled this week due to issues with train crews not reporting to work. 

Fellow bus commuters have also been feeling pain during this summer of hell.  On Tuesday morning, an NJT bus broke down in the XBL causing delays in excess of an hour for riders into the Port Authority Bus Terminal.  On Wednesday and Thursday, it was reported that several NJT bus runs were also cancelled due to "operational issues."  It has also been reported that NJT had to  cancel these trips because drivers had to cover additional bus service implemented because of the rail issues at Penn Station.   Way to prepare NJT!

New Jersey's fleet of "Jersey Cruisers" that travel to New York are now over 15 years old and are constantly breaking down.  You can't miss them pulled over by the side of the road these days.   As we previously reported, NJT was in the process of replacing these buses starting last year, but work on the new buses was halted when our beloved Governor Christie suspended non-essential construction projects for several weeks last summer.  So next time you are stuck in traffic due to a broken down bus, or suffering on one without air-conditioning, you'll know who to thank.  Our wonderful Governor who continues to create "traffic problems" by closing toll booths at the GWB, cancelling the ARC Hudson river tunnel project, and otherwise severely underfunding NJ Transit. 

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

Port Authority Bus Terminal Gate Reshuffling - Part 2

For the second time in less than a year, certain buses at the Port Authority will be re-assigned to different gates.  Last September, several private bus lines including Coach USA, Decamp and Lakeland had their departure gates changed with the hope of improving on-time performance at the over-crowded and out-dated terminal.  The last re-shuffle lead to a slight improvement of on-time performance, but the terminal is still in dire need of being replaced with a modern and larger terminal.  This time, certain NJT lines are being re-assigned on September 3, 2016 as follows:


Bus Route 122
​
6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

• Old gate: 315
• New gate: 313

Bus Route 127

10:01 p.m. to 1 a.m.

• Old gate: 230
• New gate: 312

Bus Route 139E

3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

• Old gate: 316
• New gate: 315

Bus Route 144

3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

• Old gate: 313
• New gate: 77

Bus Route 155

3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

• Old gate: 213
• New gate: 74

Bus Route 157

3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

• Old gate: 210
• New gate: 76

Bus Route 163P

3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

• Old gate: 224
• New gate: 78

Bus Route 165T

6 a.m. to 3:29 p.m.

• Old gate: 213 / 310
• New gate: 310

Bus Route 168T

6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Old gate: 213
• New gate (6 a.m. to 3:29 p.m., 7:31 p.m. to 10 p.m.): 312
• New gate (3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.): 75

Bus Route 194E&T

6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Old gate: 233
• New gate: 231

Bus Route 320

6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Old gate: 231
• New gate: 213

Bus Route 324

6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Old gate: 233
• New gate: 231

MCI to Stop Production of New NJ Transit Buses Until Transportation Funding Resolved

NJT has notified Motor Coach Industries (MCI) that it must cease all ongoing work under a contract to build new buses to replenishg NJT's aging bus fleet.
MCI was awarded a contract by NJT in November 2015  with options for building and delivering up to 1,219 new coaches over six years.  Many of the coaches to be replaced are over 15 years old and in disrepair. 
Last week, Governor Chris Christie issued Executive Order No. 210 declaring a State of Emergency and directing the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation and the Executive Director of the NJT  shutdown of all ongoing work that is funded by the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Account, including work on the new buses.   This was in direct response to the NJ Senate failing to approve Christie's gas tax hike as we reported previously. 
To date, MCI has only delivered five coaches to NJT under the contract.    So there will be NO IMMEDIATE relief for the increased instances of older buses breaking down which causes delays for all commuters.  There will likewise be no immediate relief for bus passengers sweltering in aging coaches with broken air conditioning this summer.  Bravo to our leaders for adding more misery to the plight of daily New Jersey bus riders.

Preliminary Plans For New Port Authority Bus Terminal

The Port Authority has released a report describing some preliminary options for replacing its crumbling mid-town bus terminal. Several options involve relocating long distance inter-city bus services to an unspecified off-site location.  Two alternatives are to construct a new terminal somewhere between 9th and 11th avenues which would mean a lack of direct subway access for commuters.  Others involve keeping the terminal near its current location, which would require interim bus terminal facilities for several years while the terminal is re-built.


The report discusses several near-term options for dealing with commuting issues in and out of the terminal which may seem promising:

• Exploring strategies to manage near term growth at the existing terminal:
• Route consolidation
• Hub & spoke operations
• Hudson River ferries
• Service to other transit hubs in NY and NJ (George Washington Bridge Bus Station, Secaucus Junction, ferry terminals)
• Gate utilization

We have long been an advocate of shifting some buses to run via the under-utilized George Washington Bridge Bus Station, and then via the east side as an alternative to the Lincoln Tunnel and the mid-town terminal.  NJT is already coordinating the NY Waterway ferry on its River Road bus service.  Further, the infamous port authority gate re-shuffling has seemed to alleviate some of the pm rush hour commuting delays.

A new terminal is a must for New Jersey commuters.  However, it looks like it will be years of more commuting chaos for NJ commuters to deal with the current terminal, and then years of construction, and alternate commuting as the new terminal is built.

NJT Rail Settlement

As expected, NJT settled with its rail workers averting a strike this weekend.  A rail strike would have created massive traffic, delays, and massive overcrowding of highways and the bus network into New York City.  We applaud both sides for reaching a deal, but we know that NJ Transit riders will ultimately wind up paying for it through higher fares in the near future.  More details on the settlement can be found here.

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.

And What Caused (at least part of) The Delay This Morning at the XBL

Feb 12, 2016 XBL Police Activity/More Delays 

Editors Note: A reader of NJBUS Blog forwarded us this story and picture describing an incident this morning that caused delays at the XBL.  If anyone has any further info, feel free to send it our way.

An angry passenger boarded a 164X bus in Fair Lawn this morning around 7:15 am complaining to the driver of an alleged incident on another bus.  The passenger apparently called police complaining he was assaulted on an earlier bus.  By the time the 164 got to the XBL, the entrance to the XBL was clogged as there were numerous police vehicles sporadically stopping bus traffic.  An earlier 164X bus was already pulled over on the XBL shoulder and Port Authority police pulled the later 164X bus off the side of the road.  Port Authority police boarded the bus asking if anyone had a problem with the driver.  The passenger who had the issue stood up complaining about his alleged assault - perhaps by the driver of the earlier bus. Bus traffic at the XBL continued to back up as the Port Authority police and NJT officials investigated the alleged incident interviewing both drivers and checking registrations.

Meanwhile, the passenger who alleged the assault got back on the later 164X and fellow passengers, who were already fuming for the delay of at least 20 minutes, yelled at him to get off the bus since it was his problem, and they were late for work.  The funny thing is that the police put him on another bus and he got to continue his commute while the two 164X buses continued to sit at the XBL for at least another ten minutes while the police continued their "investigation."  As far as we could tell, nobody was arrested for the incident.  After about a half an hour delay, both buses departed, only to get stuck behind a broken down bus on the ramp to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

NJT - NY Waterway Hudson Go Pass

New Jersey Transit and NY Waterway Ferry have introduced the Hudson Go Pass for commuters using NJT buses 156R, 158, 159R and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail System.  The pass is good for unlimited rides on these NJT services as well as connecting NY Waterway Ferries from Port Imperial terminal in Weehawken.  The monthly passes cost $280 for ferry trips to midtown and $400 for the downtown ferry service.  We are glad to see the partnership between NJT and NY Waterway to help alleviate overcrowding at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.  However, NY Waterway ferries to New Jersey are still much more expensive than corresponding NJT bus service. More people would be encouraged to switch exclusively to the ferry service if the cost was lowered, which could be accomplished with state-subsidies.  This could be an immediate and simple way to help alleviate the clogged trans-hudson bridges and tunnels as well as the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Port Authority Finally Begins Planning New Bus Terminal

The Port Authority has finally begun planning for a new mid-town bus terminal to replace its over-crowded and crumbling bus terminal.  They have implemented a design competition and hope to select the winning design by next September.  Officials estimate the cost of the new terminal to be approximately $10 billion. We see this as a step in the right direction, but it is a painfully slow process and will not alleviate any of the current problems with the terminal. Please click here for more on this story.

NJBUS Pic of the Week

Rockland Coaches Route 14K at GWBBS in 2014

Port Authority Gate Shuffle - September 8, 2015

DeCamp Bus Route 33 seen today at newly reassigned lower level gate.

The Great Port Authority Bus Terminal Gate Shuffle commenced today to some minor rider confusion but overall went relatively smoothly.  Hundreds of Port Authority and NJT employees wearing shiny yellow uniforms were on hand to help riders find their buses.  Overall, 55 bus routes were re-assigned to new departure gates.  Hopefully the new assignments will help alleviate congestion in the terminal but only time will tell. A new expanded facility and more improvements are still greatly needed. 

For more details on the new gate assignments, please see our previous post and also the Port Authority website.