By Walter Elliott
NEWARK – Chances are that readers may know of a relative, colleague or acquaintance who have been making adjustments to their routines with CoachUSA’s Nos. 24, 31 and 44 bus routes since July 17.
CoachUSA, through its respective Orange-Newark-Elizabeth and South Orange Avenue Independent Bus Operating Authority divisions, as of July 17, will not run their said buses before 5 a.m. and after 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
The roughly 20 percent reduction in bus runs mean that those Newark, East Orange, Irvington, Orange, South Orange and Elizabeth in working nights or overnights will have to take other transportation.
Those wanting to catch a late show or date night along those three bus routes will have to cut those activities short – or take NJTransit, taxis, ride hail or ride share services home.
Those used to taking the 24, 31 and/or 44 on Sundays or Major Holidays will get a ruder shock. As of July 23, there will be no Sunday service on those routes.
The lack of Sunday, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day service turns parts of Central Avenue, Harrison Avenue, Frelinghuysen/Newark Avenue, South Orange Avenue, Tremont Avenue and Rhode Island Avenue into transit deserts.
Those needing to get to the Veterans Administration and/or CareWell Health hospitals may need to arrange medical van transport.
Rather than CoachUSA becoming strict about the Sunday sabbath, company vice president of public affairs Dan Rodriguez told a reporter July 12 that, despite current ridership just above 90 percent and a five percent a five increase last year, it can no longer afford to maintain pre-July 17 service.
“It’s 92 percent (ridership) and not break-even,” said Rodriguez from CoachUSA/ONE’s Elizabeth garage. “We’ve lost money on it seven out of the last 12 years.”
Rodriguez further explained that ONE and SOA IBOA were chartered as private companies long before the 1980 creation of partially-taxpayer funded NJTransit. Like DeCamp, which ended its 153-year-old commuter service on April 7, it has to watch every cent it receives.
ONE and SOA IBOA’s 2011-23 mostly drought period includes three earlier service cut rounds in 2017-18.
The CoachUSA subsidiaries, on Feb. 6, 2017, reduced the No. 44’s runs to hourly intervals. The No. 31’s services to St. Barnabas Hospital, Livingston Mall and the Maplewood Loop were cut around 65 percent March 6, 2017 and lopped those branches off Jan. 1, 2018.
“Local Talk” first got word on the current cuts while boarding a 31 between Newark Penn Station and Broad and Market streets. A CoachUSA handbill on the driver’s safety partition told of the 5 a.m. – 8 p.m. service limitation and “No Sunday Service.” The driver confirmed to “Local Talk” that the cuts applied to the 24 and 44.
Some of the three routes’ buses, as of July 10, posted new timetables on other partitions.
Those handbills and word of mouth are what CoachUSA is using to get the word of cuts out. What new paper timetables that are published, if they are published, did not reach Newark Penn Station as of 8 a.m. July 18.
“They haven’t sent us schedules for a year now,” said the NJTransit Customer Service clerk. “I advise you that you check their website.”
“Local Talk,” on July 10, found it almost impossible to find new 24, 31 and 44 scheduled on CoachUSA/ONE’s websites. It is easier to find information on CoachUSA’s other 24 bus routes and lines elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada.
There are riders who have reached out to their commuter advocacy groups and their municipal elders.
Sally Gellert, President of the Lackawanna Coalition has called CoachUSA’s cuts “troubling” and is asking whether “taxpayer-subsidized buses come with any specific service provision requirements.”
Gellert, who leads the Millburn-based watchdog for the Morris & Essex and Montclair-Boonton commuter rail lines, was referring to NJDOT’s leasing buses to private carriers for $1. The lease program has been around for 50 years.
“It’s an unstated curfew or travel ban for the transit dependent,” said Geller July 18. “If CoachUSA was running subsidized buses on these routes, NJTransit should reclaim them and either run the routes or ensure coverage through its NewBus plan now in development.
NewBus Newark, which would overhaul Newark area bus routes, had been delayed in part by March 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic.
Newark South Ward Councilman Rev. Patrick Council had convened a public meeting July 10. What will come from that meeting, including substitute service for South Warders who work at Newark Airport, Port Newark/Elizabeth or Elizabeth’s Jersey Gardens Mall, remains unknown as of press time.
“NJTransit officials informed the City of the pending update,” said Connie Jackson, Public Information Officer for East Orange Mayor Theodore “Ted” Green July 17. “We issued an advisory on Facebook of the service changes and alternate routes provided by NJTransit.”
Orange Mayor Dwayne D. Warren, said Business Administrator Chris Hartwyk July 17, are also awaiting a response from NJTransit and NJDOT after receiving “a few inquiries from the public.
“In the meantime the public is encouraged to attend the next NJTransit Board of Directors meeting,” said Hartwyk, “which is on July 19; the meeting after that is Sept. 14.”
The July 19th NJTransit directors meeting in Newark is to start 6 p.m. past “Local Talk” deadline.
