BY LEV D. ZILBERMINTS
NEWARK – Since taking over operations of the #24, #31 and #44 buses from CoachUSA ONE, New Jersey Transit took its time in getting out both paper schedules and electric signs showing the bus’s destination. What follows is research by “Local Talk” from October 18 to November 9. The results of this research are incorporated into the article.
On October 18, “Local Talk” took the 7:05 p.m. #31 New Jersey Transit bus to South Orange. The bus was not overcrowded. There were plenty of vacant seats available. Many passengers checked their cell phones, dozed quietly or just sat calmly.
As the bus travelled South Orange Avenue, the driver frequently beeped the horn to ensure cars ahead of him let the bus through.
The bus had no indication where it was going, except the electronic #31. Thus, a commuter would have to stop the bus to find out whether its destination was Dover Street on the South Orange/Newark border or South Orange Center, half a mile away. By comparison, the previous owner, Coach ONE, made sure all of its buses, #24, #31, #44, showed their destinations. Initially, this was not the case with NJ Transit.
“Local Talk” asked the driver when the bus would have an electronic sign showing its destination. The driver told “Local Talk” that it would take a bit of time, but the issue would get addressed.
Things started changing as November replaced October on the calendar. On November 9, “Local Talk” saw #31 bus going to Newark. Its electronic sign showed its destination a Newark Penn Station. In a similar fashion, the #24 and #44 buses now have electronic signs showing their destinations.
“Local Talk” noticed that New Jersey Transit issued paper schedules for their new #24, #31, #44 buses on October 9, the first day of service. These schedules could be found on the NJ Transit online website and printed out. Later, paper copies of the schedules could be picked up both at Newark Penn Station and the buses themselves.
According to the #24 schedule, the bus starts in Elizabeth at Jersey City Gardens Cinema Bus Stop at 5:00 a.m. It then travels through Elizabeth, Newark, East Orange and Orange. The final stop is Orange Erie Loop, off Main Street at Bus Shelter. All told, it takes the bus 1 hour 14 minutes to get from Elizabeth to Orange. This is during weekdays. The #24 runs every 20 minutes until 8 p.m., when it switches to 30-minute interval until 12:30 a.m.
On Saturdays, the #24 also operates at 30-minute intervals between 5 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. From there the interval is every 20 minutes until 6:10 p.m. Then it is again every 30 minutes between 6:30 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
The Elizabeth/Jersey Gardens route is nearly identical on weekdays and Saturdays. Both start at 5:00 am at Erie Loop off the Main Street Bus Shelter in Orange. The trip, going through Orange, East Orange, Newark and Elizabeth, stops at Jersey Gardens Cinema Bus Stop in Elizabeth. It takes an hour and seven minutes to make the entire trip. On weekdays and Saturdays, the #24 operates every 20 minutes from 8:30 am – 6:10 p.m. Then the interval changes to every half hour. On Sunday, the bus runs 5:15 am – 1:21 am. with service every 30 minutes, all day.
The #44 bus routes cover Orange, East Orange and Newark. Unlike the #24, the #44 operates once an hour on weekdays and Saturdays. When traveling to VA Hospital/ Orange Station, the #44 starts at Newark Penn Station, Raymond Blvd. side. It takes half an hour to make the trip from Newark to the final stop, Orange Railroad place at Essex Avenue and South Day Street.
On weekdays, there are 19 trips, from 6 am – 12 midnight. On Saturdays, there are 18 trips, from 6 am – 12 midnight. On Sundays there are 14 trips between 7:05 am – 12:25 a.m. The interval between trips is 1 hour 25 minutes.
“Local Talk” wrote about the new routes in its October 5th issue. Below is the information from that issue.
New NJ TRANSIT #24 Line
- Serves the Central Avenue Corridor in Orange, East Orange, and Newark, and the Frelinghuysen Avenue/ Newark Avenue Corridor in Newark and Elizabeth. Also serves East Jersey Street and Elizabeth Avenue Elizabeth as well as Jersey Gardens. Provides service to Downtown Newark, Orange, and Elizabeth, and connections to NJT rail at Elizabeth, Orange, and Brick Church.
- Weekday 5:00 AM – 2:14 AM with service every 20 minutes, AM and PM peak, and Mid-day and every 30 minutes evenings and late night.
- Saturday 5:00 AM – 1:35 AM with service every 20 minutes mid-day, every 30 minutes early AM, evening and late night.
- Sunday 5:15 AM – 1:21 AM with service every 30 minutes, all day.
New NJ TRANSIT #31 Line
- Serves the South Orange Avenue Corridor from downtown South Orange, at the rail station, to Springfield Avenue in Newark, and continues to Penn Station, via Market Street, providing multi-modal connections.
- Weekday 5:00 AM – 1:53 AM with hourly service from South Orange and every 20 minutes AM and PM peak from South Orange Avenue/ Dover Street Loop, and every 30 minutes off-peak, evenings and late night.
- Saturday 5:00 AM – 1:22 AM with hourly service from South Orange and every 30 minutes from Dover Street Loop.
- Sunday: 5:00 AM – 1:31 AM with service every 45 minutes in the mid-day from South Orange, and every 60 minutes early morning, evening and late night. All service operates South Orange – Newark Penn on Sunday.
New NJ TRANSIT #44 Line
- Connects Newark Penn Station with downtown Orange at the Orange Rail Station for multi-modal connectivity. Provides service to the Veteran’s Hospital in East Orange. Serves Tremont Avenue, Rhode Island Avenue, Freeman Avenue, and Central Avenue in Orange, East Orange, and Newark.
- Weekday 5:00 AM – 12:28 AM with hourly service all day.
- Saturday 6:00 AM – 12:27 AM with hourly service all day.
- Sunday: 6:30 AM – 12:52 AM with service every 80 minutes all day. The above restores 24, 31, 44 service to pre-July 22 levels.
Previous Coach/ONE cuts – including the No. 31’s Maplewood Loop, RWJBarnabas Health Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and/or the Livingston Mall branches – remain.
