There were 180,000 people in 2019 who rode the 38 bus lines that NJ Transit is studying how to redesign and the agency wants to hear their ideas on how to make the routes better.
NJ Transit is asking riders who use the bus routes in and out of Newark for their ideas at two virtual public hearings on Thursday, Aug. 12, as part of its ongoing New Bus Newark route redesign effort that started in January.
The virtual public meetings will be held at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Preregistration is available at the project’s website, www.njtransit.com\newbus. The virtual meetings follow up on community meetings held in in April.
People without access to a computer or smartphone can contact the project team at 862-800-5368 for assistance. Those who need Spanish and Portuguese language translation services can request it when they register for the meeting.
NJ TRANSIT will hold two virtual sessions for the public on Thursday, 8/12 at 3 pm & 6 pm to provide input on the proposed recommendations for the NewBus Newark initiative, a project to redesign the local intrastate bus network in the greater Newark area. https://t.co/qfhNe1XGNT pic.twitter.com/d6FSYmsNRw
— NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) August 9, 2021
The NewBus Newark project seeks to redesign the 38 bus routes that radiate from Newark to destinations as far away as Somerville, Hackensack and Parsippany.
What will happen at the virtual meetings?
Participants can see proposed recommendations, review a presentation about the project and make comments and provide suggestions and ideas. Feedback from the public collected at the meetings will be incorporated into NJ Transit’s final plans, officials said.
Why is this important?
Some bus routes haven’t been redesigned in decades, despite changes in how the community uses the bus and changing demands for services. In October 2019, the 38 routes in the study area carried an average of 180,000 customers each weekday, with the top seven routes accounting for 50 percent of the ridership for that region. During the coronavirus pandemic, essential workers depended on local bus service.
NJ Transit found that many bus riders rely on that service for their mobility: 44% do not own a car, 58% have household incomes below $35,000, and 80% ride the bus five or more times a week.
NJ transit is also using U.S. Census data, to determine where there are higher concentrations of zero-vehicle and low-income households to find where there may be higher demand for bus service.
The redesign begins to answer what transit advocates asked for in 2019, a “clean sheet of paper” bus network redesign. In Sept. 2019, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and Regional Plan Association released a plan that called for making over bus routes as one of several recommendations.
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.
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