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As DeCamp's NYC bus lines shut down, NJ Transit and Boxcar step in
By
Louis C. Hochman
Published Mar 31, 2023
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Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
By
Louis C. Hochman
Published Mar 31, 2023
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NJ Transit and a private bus company are both modifying service lines to help commuters travel between northern New Jersey and New York City, in anticipation of DeCamp Bus Lines shutting down its NYC commutes.
Montclair-based DeCamp announced earlier this month that it could no longer afford to run its 80 daily trips in and out of New York, and that ridership has not rebounded since the pandemic.
In an advisory on Friday, NJ Transit said temporary changes to its service beginning on Monday, April 10 wouldn't "entirely duplicate current DeCamp routes," which will shut down on Friday, April 7. It also expected to release more information by April 4 at njtransit.com/decamp.
NJ Transit routes for DeCamp riders
Modified NJ Transit routes meant to serve current DeCamp riders will depart from Gate 208 at the Port Authority Bus Terminal:
- 191D: For alternate service for DeCamp’s Route 66 customers in West Orange and Montclair, departing from door 1.
- 192D: For alternate service for DeCamp’s Route 33 customers in Bloomfield, departing from door 2.
- 195D: For alternate service for DeCamp’s Route 33 customers in West Caldwell, Caldwell and Verona, departing from door 3.
- 199D: For alternate service for DeCamp’s Route 44 customers in Newark, Belleville, North Arlington and Lyndhurst, departing from door 4.
In addition, the private Boxcar service said on Thursday night that it would begin operating 10 buses between 5:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on weekdays beginning April 10. The "Essex Express" route will follow Bloomfield Avenue from West Caldwell through Montclair, then take DeCamp's previous route up Park Avenue and Valley Avenue to Route 3. Boxcar planned to make the same stops DeCamp did along that route.
Verona Councilmember Christine McGrath celebrated the NJ Transit announcement in a Facebook post on Friday, calling it "very good news four our community," and said the NJ Transit lines would be cheaper than their DeCamp equivalents. But she warned that the new service isn't necessarily permanent.
"I want to make something very clear to residents," she wrote. "This is an emergency plan from NJ Transit to fill in this commuting bus service. They will be re-evaluating these routes in June to make service changes. If the ridership is not there to support this direct to NYC bus service, they may eliminate it."
She encouraged residents of her community to give the NJ Transit service a try "so that we can maintain this important commuting lifeline into NYC."
NJ Transit
Earlier this week, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) sent NJ Transit a letter urging it to use "all of the tools at its disposal" to make sure reliable service continued between North Jersey and Manhattan, "and to protect the good-paying union jobs that are now imperiled by route closures." The letter was co-signed by dozens of officials representing North Jersey communities.
State Sen. Richard Codey also proposed legislation this week to create a $60 million fund, similar to the federal Paycheck Protection Program, for private bus carriers. The state's Economic Development Authority would manage the fund, which would make potentially forgivable loans to private transit operators to allow them to continue operations during severe downturns.
"DeCamp is quite possibly the first domino to fall, and we cannot expect NJ Transit or anyone else to fill this void," he said in a statement on Thursday. "While ridership is obviously down from pre-pandemic levels, we can expect some rebound, just as we expect an eventual rebound in commercial real estate.”
Sherill (D-Montclair) also sent a letter to the House Committee on Appropriations' Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development this month seeking federal funds for transportation. She cited the DeCamp announcement as a demonstration of the need, and specifically asked for the “highest possible funding level” for the Federal Transit Administration, and for the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services, which provided grants to transportation companies that lost revenue in the pandemic. DeCamp received approximately $3 million in funds through the program.
DeCamp, the oldest bus service in New Jersey, was founded in 1870 as a covered wagon service between Roseland and Newark. Officials say daily bus ridership was about 6,800 before the pandemic. Rides stopped entirely during early COVID-19 shutdowns, but some service resumed in Essex, Hudson Passaic and Bergen counties in June 2021.
Still, company owner Jonathan DeCamp said the commuter service into Manhattan has only averaged about 1,300 riders per day since then.
DeCamp said it plans to continue charter, shuttle and casino services.
Tagged
new jersey
transportation
Louis C. Hochman
After about two decades in (mostly) New Jersey-focused commercial print, digital and digital-but-radio-adjacent news, Lou stumbled into member-supported news in early 2021, as the editor and CEO of Montclair Local. There, he (hopes he) expanded enterprise, brought more sophistication to digital storytelling and moved the nonprofit newsroom closer to long-term financial sustainability. He helped lead the Local to its fourth consecutive General Excellence award from the New Jersey Press Association — the NJPA's highest honor with judges noting the paper's work to strip away layers of government opacity, to hold power to account, to make news accessible for more members of the community, to share the stories and concerns of more facets of the community and to tell compelling stories across multiple media. He's excited to continue the same ethic — news as a public service — at NYPR as the New Jersey and suburbs editor, drawing on the extraordinary talents of reporters including Karen Yi and Nancy Solomon. Lou lives in Philly (that commute!) with his partner and their two cats, about whom and about which he speaks incessantly.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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