NEW BUS SCHEDULES TAKE EFFECT APRIL 11

Systemwide changes include additional trips to help meet demand and adjustments to improve on-time performance

NJT-09-021
March 31, 2009

NEWARK, NJ – NJ TRANSIT is adding trips to four bus routes to help meet demand and reduce wait times between trips, and is making adjustments to numerous other routes to improve reliability and convenience for customers as part of a systemwide bus timetable change that takes effect April 11, 2009.

“This schedule change follows a comprehensive review of ridership trends on our bus service around the state,’ said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Richard Sarles. “These adjustments will help to improve service for our bus customers within the confines of a challenging fiscal environment.”

A significant change in the No. 413 route is designed to improve on-time performance for customers in Burlington and Camden counties. The 413 will no longer operate into Philadelphia, where traffic congestion often creates significant delays for our buses navigating through the city street, in turn impacting customers in Camden and Burlington counties.

No. 413 trips will originate and end at the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden where connecting NJ TRANSIT bus and PATCO rail service is available for customers continuing to Philadelphia. Additionally, buses will operate within Cherry Hill Mall and the Mount Laurel campus of Burlington County College to provide customers with more convenient service to those destinations. The route will be renamed Camden-Mt. Holly-Burlington.

Other changes include the addition of four weekday afternoon outbound trips on the No. 324 line to offset changes to the No. 194 route, where selected p.m. peak trips will bypass Wayne/Route 23 Transit Center and Mother’s Park & Ride to provide improved express service to farther destinations.

An additional weekday evening trip on the No. 137 route will depart Toms River to reduce intervals between trips to New York, and a weekday afternoon trip will be added to the No. 85 route (Hoboken-Harmon Meadow-Mill Creek) to help alleviate overcrowding.

Atlantic City casino employees will benefit from a later weekday trip on the No. 508 route (Atlantic City-Richard Stockton College-Hamilton Mall) which at the request of customers will depart from Atlantic and South Carolina avenues in Atlantic City at 12:45 a.m., replacing a 12:05 a.m. departure.

Seasonal service to Six Flags Great Adventure from New York and Newark on the No. 308 route and from Freehold on the No. 307 route begins April 4, with service on days the park is open to the public. Weekend service to the theme park from Philadelphia and Camden on the No. 318 route begins April 18.

Customers are encouraged to review new timetables available on their buses, at
NJ TRANSIT customer service offices at major terminals or online at www.njtransit.com.

Following are highlights of county-by-county changes effective April 11, 2009:

Atlantic County

508 Atlantic City-Richard Stockton College-Hamilton Mall: A later outbound weekday trip from Atlantic City Bus Terminal will depart at 12:45 a.m., replacing a 12:05 a.m. trip to benefit casino employees.
552 Cape May-Atlantic City: An additional weekday trip will depart Cape May at 8:22 p.m. to reduce the interval between trips.
553 Upper Deerfield-Atlantic City: A slight reduction is being made in the evening schedule to match service from Upper Deerfield with ridership demand.

Bergen County

· 158 Fort Lee-Edgewater-New York: The schedule for weekend trips to New York will be adjusted to improve reliability.

· 752 Oakland-Ridgewood-Hackensack: Weekday and Saturday schedules will be revised to improve reliability.

Burlington County

413 Camden-Mount Holly-Burlington: All trips will be adjusted to begin and end at Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden instead of Philadelphia to significantly improve on-time performance and reliability. Customers traveling to Philadelphia may transfer to NJ TRANSIT bus and PATCO rail service at Walter Rand Transportation Center.

Camden County

318 Philadelphia-Camden-Great Adventure: Seasonal service between Philadelphia, Camden and the theme park will begin April 18.
413 Camden-Mount Holly-Burlington: All trips will be adjusted to begin and end at Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden instead of Philadelphia to significantly improve on-time performance and reliability. Customers traveling to Philadelphia may transfer to NJ TRANSIT bus and PATCO rail service at Walter Rand Transportation Center.

Cape May County

552 Cape May-Atlantic City: An additional weekday trip will depart Cape May at 8:22 p.m. to reduce the interval between trips.

Essex County

37 Lyons Avenue: At the request of customers, the 11:18 p.m. departure on weeknights from Newark Liberty International Airport to Newark-Ivy Hill will be changed to 11:30 p.m. to better accommodate airport employees.
107 South Orange-New York: On weekdays, service reductions to and from Union City will be made to match ridership demand.
308 New York-Newark-Six Flags Great Adventure: Seasonal service begins April 4, operating on days the park is open to the public.

Hudson County

85 Hoboken-Harmon Meadow-Mill Creek: An afternoon trip from Mill Creek to Hoboken is being added to help alleviate overcrowding.
107 South Orange-New York: On weekdays, service reductions to and from Union City are being made to match ridership demand.
158 Fort Lee-Edgewater-New York: The schedule for weekend trips to New York will be adjusted to improve reliability.

Middlesex County

64 Lakewood-Jersey City-Weehawken: Two weekday morning trip departure times will be adjusted to help alleviate overcrowding, with the trips departing three minutes later, at 6:07 a.m. and 6:13 a.m.
116 Perth Amboy-New York: Morning peak schedules to New York will be revised to help alleviate crowding conditions.

Monmouth County

64 Lakewood-Jersey City-Weehawken: Two weekday morning trip departure times will be adjusted to help alleviate crowding conditions, with the trips departing three minutes later, at 6:07 a.m. and 6:13 a.m.
307 Freehold-Six Flags Great Adventure: Seasonal service begins April 4, operating only on days the park is open to the public.
837 Long Branch-Asbury Park-Seaview Square Mall: Morning peak period service is being adjusted to match service with ridership demand.

Ocean County

64 Lakewood-Jersey City-Weehawken: Two weekday morning trip departure times will be adjusted to help alleviate crowding conditions, with the trips departing three minutes later, at 6:07 a.m. and 6:13 a.m.

Passaic County

194 Newfoundland-New York: Selected p.m. peak “T” trips (Pequannock-Riverdale Express trips to Butler via the Wayne-Route 23 Transit Center and Mothers Park & Ride) will be changed between 4:40 p.m. and 6:23 p.m. to bypass the Wayne/Route 23 Transit Center and Mothers Park & Ride. These trips will now be referenced as "P" trips and will operate express from New York to Route 23 & Fairfield Road in Wayne and then via Pequannock & Riverdale terminating in Butler. Customers will also board the new "P" trips at a different PABT gate (Gate 234, Door 8). Departure times on some afternoon peak “T” and “X” (Wayne/Route 23 Express to Newfoundland-Stockholm) trips will be adjusted. On weekends, departure times on selected trips will be adjusted to better coordinate with the No. 198 and No. 324 lines at Wayne/Route 23 and at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
324 Wayne/Route 23 Transit Center-New York: Four weekday afternoon outbound trips will be added to offset changes to the 194 “T” service. The 4:40 p.m. weekday PABT departure will leave five minutes later, at 4:45 p.m. In addition, weekend service will be adjusted to match ridership demand.

About NJ TRANSIT

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 895,000 weekday trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines and 11 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 164 rail stations, 60 light rail stations and more than 18,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.