By Walter Elliott
BLOOMFIELD – Many, but not all, former Decamp riders will have alternatives to the departing commuter carrier as of Monday, April 10.
New Jersey Transit, Bloomfield and West Orange townships and Boxcar will have “emergency” or interim services that will run along parts of Decamp’s former 33, 44 and 66 routes here and in six other “Local Talk” towns.
The above services will not completely duplicate what Decamp has served riders with for the bulk of its 153 years.
NJTransit, on April 4, unveiled its four 191D-199D routes for former 33, 44 and 66 Decamp riders.
The 191D, 192D, 195D and 199D – all modifications of existing NJTransit routes – are to temporarily depart from the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal Gate 208 Doors 1-4. The following services offered are for weekday rush hours only.
Bloomfield’s Decamp 33 riders are to use the 192D between Broad and Liberty streets and PABT Gate 208 Door 1.
Morning runs are to head east from 5:50 to 8:50 a.m. Afternoon/evening runs are to go west 4:15 – 8 p.m.
The “regular” 192.stops in Nutley neighborhood between PABT and Clifton’s part of Valley Road.
Decamp 33 riders in Verona and the Caldwells are to take the No. 195D from West Caldwell’s Bloomfield Avenue/Kirkpatrick Lane and Gate 208 Door 3.
Eastbound runs are to go between 5:25 and 8:25 a.m. Westbound runs are to head out from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The “regular” 195 makes some of its last or first stops along Nutley’s part of Route 3 between PABT and Wayne’s Willowbrook Mall.
Decamp Route 44 riders in North Newark, Belleville, North Arlington and Lyndhurst are to take the 199D between North Newark’s Mount Prospect Avenue and Heller Parkway to or from Gate 208 Door 4.
Mt. Prospect and Heller riders may take inbound runs 5:38-8:38 a.m. Westbound runs are to be made 4:30-8 p.m.
The “regular” 199.also goes through several Nutley neighborhoods between PABT and Clifton’s Allwood section.
Decamp Route 66 riders from West Orange and Montclair are to take the 191D between the Mississippi Avenue Loop and Gate 208 Door 2.
Eastbound riders from the Mississippi Loop are to take buses 5:55-8:25 a.m. Westbound riders are served 4:15-7:45 p.m.
The “regular” 191 makes Montclair State University, Upper Montclair and along Nutley’s part of Route 3 on its way to or from Willowbrook Mall.
The fare chart that accompanies NJTransit’s “Emergency West Essex” service announcement, found on njtransit.com, is a slight modification on Decamp’s fare zones – and a discount on the latter’s fares.
Nutley, Belleville, North Newark, Bloomfield, Montclair and Glen Ridge riders who had boarded in Decamp’s Zones 5-7 are now within NJTransit’s Interstate Zone 4. One Way fares are now $6 and Zone 4 monthly Interstate bus passes are $167.
Decamp’s West Orange, Verna and Cedar Grove Zone 9 riders are now in NJTransii’s Interstate Zone 5. One Way fares are $7 and Monthly passes are $199.
NJTransit’s announcement does not indicate whether its 191D-199D bus drivers will honor intrastate (within New Jersey) rides or Decamp tickets.
Decamp, except for its 44 route, never took in-state riders. It has encouraged holders of unused and unexpired tickets to mail them back to their Montclair headquarters for refunds.
NJTransit also elaborated on service provided by the Bloomfield and West Orange municipal rush hour jitneys, nearby park-and-ride lots, and its close-by commuter rail, Newark Light Rail and/or bus services.
BLOOMFIELD was the first to respond on March 23 by extending some of its North End rush hour minibus or jitney runs to Clifton’s Allwood Park & Ride as of April 10.
Mayor Michael Venezia said that former Decamp riders can take the Bloomfield minibus to the park and ride to transfer to NJTransit’s regular 192 buses there. The park and ride, by the Garden State Parkway and Route 3, is also served by NJTransit’s regular 191 and 199 buses.
Exact schedules for the North End Route Allwood extension have yet to be posted on the municipal web site as of Noon, April 5. North End Route minibuses – like those on the South End and Level 1&2 routes – all serve Town Centre’s Bloomfield Station on the Montclair-Boonton Line.
Bloomfield’s rush hour commuter shuttle service is aided by USDOT railroad minibus grants as awarded by NJTransit. West Orange, South Orange, pioneering Maplewood, Glen Ridge, Irvington and Springfield are similarly funded.
Bloomfield’s rush hour and off-peak senior citizen minibus services are supervised by its Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs Department. 50-ride passes are available for $25 from the department’s Civic Center, 84 Broad St. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays and up to 9 p.m. Wednesdays. (USDOT and NJTransit allow municipalities to charge 50-cent to $2 per ride.)
Details are found at www.bloomfieldtwpnj.com/230/Shuttle-Bus.
WEST ORANGE’s minibus service takes commuters from various parts of the township to South Orange, Orange or East Orange’s Brick Church stations on NJTransit’s Morris & Essex Line.
One has to read the timetables to see which ones of the five routes go to which station. There is no service to the less frequent Mountain Avenue (South Orange) and Highland Avenue (Orange) stations. All five routes, however, are free.
Details are found at westorange.org/1415/LocalJitney-Shuttle.
BOXCAR, after taking in rider surveys and making Decamp headcounts at PABT, has said on March 30 that it is launching its Essex Express service April 10.
The route is a combination of Decamp’s 33 and 66 routes. The Essex Express starts at West Caldwell’s Kirkpatrick Lane and runs on Bloomfield Avenue before turning onto Montclair’s Park Street. It then heads to Route 3 in Clifton via Upper Montclair’s Valley Road.
Boxcar, which also runs similar services in Bergen, Union, Morris and Somerset counties, starts and ends its routes with eight stops in Midtown Manhattan. Its Chatham-based president, Joe Colangelo, has said that he was compensating for the unavailability of BAPT bus gates.
The interstate-quality buses feature Wi-Fi and electronic device plug-ins. Colangelo is meanwhile talking with property owners about providing parking spaces within walking distance of the stops.
Boxcar is pricing the Essex Express at $8.99 per ride for members and $13.49 for non-members. The private carrier is encouraging riders to become prepaid members at $29.99 per month. Boxcar is running at a discount compared to its $19.99 per ride/$34.99 per month membership on its other routes.
Details are found at Boxcar.com.
Decamp, after its last commuter buses end their runs Friday night, will concentrate on charter and casino services.
