Slogan The Way to Go Headquarters Newark, New Jersey Service area New Jersey (statewide) | Parent NJ Transit Locale New Jersey (statewide) | |
 | ||
Founded 1980
(purchase of Transport of New Jersey) | ||
NJ Transit Bus Operations is the bus division of NJ Transit, providing bus service throughout New Jersey along with service along one light rail line, with many routes going to New York City and Philadelphia.
Contents
History
Prior to 1948, most public transportation in New Jersey was provided by the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey, a utility company that also operated the Public Service Railway division. In 1948, the Public Service Corporation was divided into two entities: the Public Service Electric and Gas Company, which inherited the utility operations, and the Public Service Coordinated Transportation Company (PSCT), which inherited the transit operations. PSCT provided service throughout New Jersey, originally using trolleys and then transitioning to trolley buses, and buses. During the 1970s, the New Jersey Department of Transportation began subsidizing the routes of Public Service, now renamed Transport of New Jersey (TNJ), contracting with TNJ and other companies to operate local bus service throughout New Jersey.
NJ Transit came into being as the result of the New Jersey Public Transportation Act of 1979 to "acquire, operate, and contract for transportation services in the public interest". NJ Transit Bus Operations came into being the following year, when it acquired Transport of New Jersey from PSE&G. Other purchases and buyouts in the 1980s expanded the bus division of NJ Transit, including the acquisition of the Atlantic City Transportation Company in 1987. In 1992 NJ Transit Mercer, Inc., which was the successor to the former "Mercer Metro" operation in the Trenton and Princeton areas, was folded into NJ Transit Bus Operations. In 2010, Morris County operations were taken over under the subsidiary NJ Transit Morris, Inc.
NJ Transit Bus Operations owns, leases, or subleases over 3,000 buses, and many more have been purchased for community shuttles.
Routes
Routes are numbered by where they operate in the state of New Jersey, however, there are a few exceptions to the general rule due to recent changes to some routes operating in Central and North Jersey. Fare and route can also be further elucidated on some of the individual route schedules or the trip planner.
2012 route cancelations, service reductions, and service expansions
On July 11, 2012, NJ Transit publicly announced that it had finalized plans to cancel service on routes 42, 43, 75 and 93 effective September 1, 2012.
Combined with changes to service on routes 56, 57, 181, go28, 451 and 604 (which later become part of 624 line on 6/20/15), these changes were forecasted to result in "approximately $2.5 million in annual operating savings."
NJ Transit also intended to split route 62 into two routes and expand route 99. On September 1, 2012, bus route 62 increased service on its northern portion between Newark Penn Station, Newark Airport, and Elizabeth, while the rest of the route south of Elizabeth became route 48.
The company further stated that "most customers will not be significantly impacted" and that the financial gains would allow for service expansion in and around Newark and "help keep fares stable" for NJ Transit customers.
Divisions, facilities, and operators
NJ Transit Bus Operations is divided into the Northern, Central, and Southern Divisions, and contract operations. Below is a list of all facilities and the buses housed in them.
Northern Division
The Northern Division consists of six garages.
Central Division
The Central Division consists of five garages and one light rail operations facility.
Southern Division
The Southern Division consists of four garages.
Contract operations
These companies operate service under contract to New Jersey Transit. Service is provided using New Jersey Transit-branded buses.