Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco is calling on NJ Transit to find a new bus company to serve commuters who will be left stranded after Aug. 16, when Coach USA stops operating 20 bus routes in Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic.
“The fact of the matter is, we need more opportunities for mass transit, not less,” Tedesco said in a statement earlier this week. “I urgently call upon NJ Transit to take immediate action to ensure a smooth transition for Bergen County commuters by either finding a new service provider or assuming the operation of the impacted Bergen County routes themselves.”
Coach USA, which contracts with NJ Transit to provide bus service, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June. The company initially vowed to keep its buses rolling, but last week, it informed NJ Transit that it plans to eliminate 20 bus routes in a cost-cutting move that will affect thousands of riders.
In a July 10 letter to NJ Transit, Coach USA regional vice president Newel Scoon wrote that the company “faced difficult challenges that resulted in our decision to cease ... county operations.”
The decision is a blow to NJ Transit, which had already spent $40 million to realign bus service and create new routes for displaced riders when DeCamp Bus, A&C, and Orange-Newark-Elizabeth, Inc. (Coach USA) ended commuter bus operations last year.
In Bergen County, Coach USA plans to eliminate the 751, 752, 753, 755, 756, 772, and 780 lines, routes that run through Edgewater, Fort Lee, Englewood Cliffs, Englewood, Teaneck, Hackensack, Paramus, New Milford, Ridgewood, and Cresskill. Some of the major stops along those routes are the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, Englewood Hospital, and the campuses of Bergen Community College in Paramus and Lyndhurst.
Germaine Ortiz, the chairwoman of the Bergen County Board of Commissioners, joined Tedesco in urging NJ Transit to save the seven bus lines that Bergen commuters rely on.
“Reliable public transit is crucial for the stability and prosperity of our county, and this sudden decision will drastically inconvenience our residents, especially those who rely on these buses for their daily commutes,” she said. “It is imperative that NJ Transit acts swiftly to maintain uninterrupted transportation and minimize the impact on our community.”
NJ Transit spokesman Kyalo Mulumba said the agency is looking for another bus company to serve Bergen riders, but so far hasn’t found one. The situation is complicated by a shortage of drivers with CDL licenses, he said.
“We are exploring every available option to limit the impacts on bus service in the state,” Mulumba said.
The situation appears to have been resolved in Passaic County, where NJ Transit has awarded Academy Bus an $81 million contract to operate the 702, 705, 707, 709, 722, 744, 746, and 758 routes on Sept. 1, leaving a two-week gap in service. Those routes run through Clifton, Passaic, and Paterson and connect to Bergen County.
But even a two-week gap in service is likely to cause headaches for commuters and create serious disruptions for people with no other transportation options. “People take the bus out of necessity,” said Passaic Mayor Hector Lora. “They don’t have a car, and they can’t afford a car service.”
In Hudson County, commuters are scheduled to lose the Nos. 84 and 88 buses that go from Journal Square in Jersey City to the northern end of North Bergen, and the No. 2 bus that runs from Journal Square to the train station in Secaucus. NJ Transit is looking for a replacement carrier.
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