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NJ Transit to cut five bus routes |
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Posted by Gold_12TH on Tue May 15 13:10:06 2012 Five underperforming NJ Transit bus routes are on the chopping block in a move intended to save $3.09 million, $2 million of which will be plowed back into keeping fares stable for the coming year.NJ Transit officials on Monday announced the cuts as a result of the Bus System Optimization review, an 18-month study of the agency’s 260 routes. The study compared similar bus routes to find overlapping service in an effort to fix underperforming lines, reduce costs and increase ridership while not leaving riders without options, NJT officials said. “It’s a place to get the most savings while affecting the fewest people,” said Alan Maiman, deputy general manager of bus service planning, who said this is the first major discontinuation of NJ Transit-run bus service since the late 1980s. The process, which Maiman said was driven by the agency’s Scorecard initiative to use resources more efficiently, compares like bus routes, such as those in Monmouth and Ocean counties, with similar suburban services. Three factors The process focused on three major factors: the number of customers riding per hour, the amount of money from fares versus the operating cost, and subsidy per customer versus the operating cost, Maiman said. Twenty-seven bus routes were identified for further review, and that list was narrowed to 11 identified for adjustments. Five of those were recommended to be discontinued, he said. Of the agency’s 520,000 daily bus riders, the changes would affect 3,000 riders, and of those, 93 would be left with no options, such as using another bus route. Routes to be discontinued are: No. 42 Newark-18th Avenue; No. 43, Newark-Jersey City; No. 75 Butler-Newark; No. 78 Newark-Secaucus; and No. 93 Bloomfield-Newark Light Rail. Changes will be made to the No. 451 Camden/Lindenwold PATCO route to eliminate service between Voorhees Town Center and the Lindenwold PATCO station. Maiman said that in addition to two other bus routes serving those destinations, the PATCO rail line also parallels the 451. Cuts to other routes include reducing weekend or Sunday service or cutting services on parts of the route that had few riders. That route needed the highest state subsidy, $8.63 per rider, in addition to the $1.50 fare. NJ Transit generally aims for fares to pay for 61 percent of the operating costs. The initiative will not result in laying off workers, because those positions can be absorbed by attrition or closing of bus garages. Two public hearings are scheduled from 1 to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. on June 12 at NJ Transit headquarters, 1 Penn Plaza East, Newark. Comments also will be taken on line at www.njtransit.com. ---http://www.app.com/article/20120514/NJNEWS/305140073/NJ-Transit-cut-five-bus-routes BUS SERVICE OPTIMIZATION INITIATIVE TO DRIVE NEW INVESTMENT, GREATER EFFICIENCIES Innovative plan supports taxpayers, matches service demand; Public hearings scheduled for June May 14, 2012 NJT-12-031 NEWARK, NJ — Reaffirming NJ TRANSIT’s commitment to customers and the hard-working taxpayers of the State of New Jersey, NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein today unveiled an innovative plan designed to optimize NJ TRANSIT bus operations for sustained, long-term growth, while also reinvesting critical resources to expand and enhance bus service within key transportation corridors. “The innovative Bus Service Optimization proposal announced today fulfills the call for government to provide smarter, more efficient services at less cost to customers and the taxpayers,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein. “A measurable result of NJ TRANSIT’s successful Scorecard initiative, Bus Service Optimization will ensure that NJ TRANSIT uses its limited resources to provide the best service to the most customers—all while holding the line on fares.” NJ TRANSIT’s proposed Bus Service Optimization initiative resulted from extensive examination of each of NJ TRANSIT’s existing bus routes. As part of this process, the bus routes were broken down into seventeen groupings or geographic markets and reviewed using twenty separate metrics, including customers per hour, fare box recovery and subsidy per customer. The proposed initiative will go before the public in June, when two public hearings will be held in Newark and Wayne to solicit public input. “NJ TRANSIT’s leaders in bus operations, finance, planning, research and civil rights utilized specific, clear metrics while also focusing on customer impacts, economic impact, available travel alternatives and the overall impact on the community,” said Weinstein. “The end result is an innovative service plan that provides the greatest return to our customers and to New Jersey’s taxpayers.” As a result of extensive study and analysis, NJ TRANSIT’s Bus Service Optimization initiative forecasts more than $3 million in annual operation savings. These savings will be reflected in the upcoming Fiscal Year 2013 budget and will be utilized to help keep fares stable for the nearly 250 million customers who utilize NJ TRANSIT services on an annual basis. Of this savings, NJ TRANSIT will be immediately reinvesting more than $1.02 million to expand and enhance bus service within the City of Newark, in addition to key corridors between Newark, Newark Airport and Elizabeth. “Not only will our Bus Service Optimization keep fares stable for NJ TRANSIT customers, but a portion of the optimization savings will be reinvested back into additional service within the Newark corridor, as well as between Newark, Newark Airport and Elizabeth,” said Weinstein. “This reinvestment of Bus Service Optimization savings will ultimately enhance the customer experience for those traveling in this critical transportation corridor.” This reinvestment of savings will be reflected in: The restructuring of Route No. 62 (Newark-Woodbridge-Perth Amboy) into two separate routes, allowing for the creation of 24/7 service between the heavily-travelled Newark-Newark Airport and Elizabeth Corridor. Optimization reinvestment will increase bus service reliability, balance resources and help spur job access at the airport. The extension of Route No. 99 (Newark-Hillside Cross-town) to the Branch Brook Park Newark Light Rail Station. Reinvestment will provide Newark residents and employees with connections to more than a dozen routes and access to the light rail system. It will also improve service to major medical facilities, schools and universities. Eleven bus routes were reviewed for adjustment following this comprehensive process. These routes are either largely underutilized, or directly compete with NJ TRANSIT rail or light rail services. These routes average 16 customers per trip, in comparison to the system wide average of 35. The routes include: No. 42 (Newark-18th Avenue): Discontinue service No. 43 (Newark-Jersey City): Discontinue service No. 56 (Elizabeth/Cranford/Winfield): Widen peak hour headway from 25/40 minutes to 60 minutes No. 57 (Elizabeth/Linden): Eliminate first/last round trips on weekdays No. 75 (Butler-Newark): Discontinue service No. 78 (Newark-Secaucus): Discontinue service No. 93 (Bloomfield-Newark Light Rail): Discontinue service No. 181 (Union City-NY/GWB): Discontinue Sunday service No. 258 (Bloomfield/Newark Airport): Eliminate University Heights Branch, adjust headway to 30 minutes all day No. 451 (Camden/Lindenwold PATCO): Eliminate service between Voorhees Town Center and Lindenwold PATCO No. 604 (Trenton/East Trenton): Eliminate some peak-hour service between Trenton Transit Center and Justice Complex For these 11 separate routes, most customers will not be significantly impacted, as system access remains available with reasonable alternatives. In some cases, customers may need to walk a reasonable distance to access service, or be subject to a two-seat ride instead of a one-seat ride. NJ TRANSIT invites members of the public to offer their feedback on the Bus Service Optimization initiative. Interested parties are invited to visit njtransit.com, contact the Customer Service hotline at (973) 275-5555, or attend one of the following two public hearings to offer their feedback in person: Tuesday, June 12, 2012 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Public Information Session) 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. NJ TRANSIT Headquarters, One Penn Plaza East, Newark Wednesday, June 13, 2012 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. Wayne Municipal Complex, 475 Valley Road, Wayne About NJ TRANSIT NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 895,000 weekday trips on 260 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 164 rail stations, 60 light rail stations and more than 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia. ---http://www.njtransit.com/tm/tm_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=PressReleaseTo&PRESS_RELEASE_ID=2760 |
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