New Jersey

NJ Transit taking on 20 North Jersey bus routes abruptly dropped by Coach USA

Published

2 years ago

August 10, 2024

NJ Transit taking on 20 North Jersey bus routes abruptly dropped by Coach USA

After Coach USA abruptly announced it would drop 20 bus routes amid bankruptcy filings last month, NJ Transit says it will step in to provide service to thousands of riders that would otherwise have been left stranded on Aug. 16.

The move by NJ Transit will help mitigate impacts to customers in Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties after the Paramus-based bus company prematurely terminated contracts with NJ Transit last month, leaving the nation’s largest public transport system in a difficult position as it struggles with its own logistical problems.

NJ Transit confirmed Thursday in a customer advisory that it and a private carrier will pick up the abandoned routes beginning Aug. 17. Academy Bus Lines will take the affected routes in Bergen and Passaic counties with no changes to routes, schedules or fares, NJ Transit said. Academy Express was previously awarded a contract to operate the Passaic routes on Sept. 1, but will step in 15 days early and the Bergen routes are being run on an “emergency basis,” NJ Transit said. NJ Transit will pick up the Hudson County routes by “using existing resources while minimizing the impact to existing bus routes to the greatest extent possible,” officials said.

Bus stops and even the look of the buses won’t change nor will the manner in which tickets are purchased, NJ Transit said.

Academy Bus will pick up the following routes:

Bergen County: 751, 752, 753, 755, 756, 762, 772, 780
Passaic County: 702, 705, 707, 709, 722, 744, 746, 748, 758

NJ Transit will run these affected routes:

The plan required “monumental effort” from NJ Transit’s bus service planning staff in a short period of time, officials said, noting that Coach USA had given written notice of their plans to abandon three of their five contracts effective at the close of business on Aug. 16.

A NJ Transit spokesman told NorthJersey.com last month the state-owned transport service was already struggling with staffing its bus routes due to the “ongoing and fierce competition for recruiting (commercially licensed) drivers from a limited pool of qualified candidates.”

It’s not the first time NJ Transit has stepped in to take over routes for struggling private bus carriers. NJ Transit recently added or modified 11 routes in Essex and Hudson counties that were previously serviced by DeCamp, the oldest private bus company in the state, Coach USA and A&C, all private companies that have faced significant financial distress post-COVID. The addition led to NJ Transit adding $30 million in expenses to its operating budget last year.

NJ Transit’s move to pick up the abandoned routes was lauded by Bergen County Executive Tim Tedesco, who thanked the company for their “proactive response and their dedication to ensuring a continuity of service” in a statement on Friday.

“When faced with the sudden termination of these routes by Coach USA, NJ Transit acted with urgency and responsibility to safeguard our community’s needs,” Tedesco said. “Their commitment to maintaining service continuity underscores the critical role that public transit plays in the lives of our residents and in the overall economic health of Bergen County.”

Hudson County Executive Craig Guy said in a statement Friday he was “delighted” NJ Transit would be picking up the county’s routes, but raised concerns over the financial impact it would have on the company.

“I would be remiss if I did not call upon our legislative delegation and our Governor to ensure that transit remains properly funded in the future and accessible to our communities,” he said. “Fully funding NJ Transit is good for our commuters and for our communities.”

How NJ Transit, which projects a nearly $1 billion annual budget shortfall by 2026, will be impacted financially is still unknown.

“While presenting significant challenges to NJ Transit resources, we are once again stepping up after yet another private carrier abandons service with little notice,” said Kevin S. Corbett, NJ Transit’s president and CEO. “We are ensuring that the thousands of customers who depend on these routes for their mobility retain these vital bus services.”

For more information on the timetables for the 20 bus routes, visit the NJ Transit website.

Email: lcomstock@njherald.com; Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH or on Facebook.

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New Jersey

New Jersey death investigator fired for sharing details of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s fatal bike crash

Published

7 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

New Jersey death investigator fired for sharing details of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s fatal bike crash

A New Jersey offficial upheld the firing of a death investigator who leaked details of the crash that killed NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau in 2024, according to court documents.

A court filing shows a Gloucester County death investigator shared details of the Aug. 29, 2024 crash with a group chat. Someone in that chat later posted information about the Gaudreau brothers’ deaths — and a New Jersey State Police trooper’s cell phone number — on social media, prior to the information being released to the public.

The Gaudreau brothers — Johnny, a Columbus Blue Jackets winger, and Matthew, a Gloucester Catholic High School hockey coach — were riding bicycles on County Route 551 in Oldmans Township when a driver, Sean Higgins, allegedly struck them while under the influence.

Defense attorneys have argued Higgins’ blood alcohol level was below the legal limit of .08 at the time of the crash, while prosecutors say he was intoxicated. The Gaudreaus were struck the night before their sister’s wedding.

The Gloucester County Medical Examiner’s office worker sent a picture of his notes to a text message group with members of his hockey team, after receiving news of the crash from a state trooper, documents filed with the New Jersey Civil Service Commission say.

The worker said he took the photo because he was emotional and knew the victims, and that it would also serve as a way of informing the team he could not make it to their scheduled game that night. Someone from that group chat posted the photo on Twitter, the documents say. The post at some point made it to Reddit.

Overnight, multiple articles were written based on the social media post that originated from the group chat. The trooper whose phone number was visible in the picture received about a dozen phone calls from the media trying to confirm details of the crash, documents say.

The worker was accused of failing to safeguard confidential patient information, conduct unbecoming of a public employee and other offenses.

An administrative law judge recommended the worker be suspended for six months before the Civil Service Commission ruled to fire him.

While the worker had no prior disciplinary record, the commission said that “some disciplinary actions are so serious that removal is appropriate notwithstanding a largely unblemished prior record … the [worker’s] offense … constituted a serious breach of the standard of conduct expected from all public employees who have access to confidential personal information.”

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New Jersey

NJ sees largest increase in energy bill costs, according to new report

Published

19 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

NJ sees largest increase in energy bill costs, according to new report

A new report showed how much more money Americans paid for energy in 2025 compared to the year before and New Jersey led the way with the largest increase.

All three states in the Philadelphia region showed increases in energy costs.

The report from the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee shows that residents in New Jersey paid about $260 more in utilities last year which is more than double the national average.

“Electricity increases are a big thing. Utility increases are a big thing,” Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. said. “It’s terrible and we have to put a stop to it.”

Pallone is the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

He says he supports a price cap for energy transmission PJM is recommending to federal energy regulators.

PJM is a member-run company that operates the mid-Atlantic electrical grid for 65 million people in 13 states, including Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.

“You need to adopt the price cap, because if you don’t, we’re going to see a continuation of these price increases,” Rep. Pallone said.

NJ Gov. Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency on utility costs during her inauguration in January. She signed two executive orders to combat what she described as an affordability crisis.

“What I’ve heard from people in Camden County, I heard across the state, and that is around issues of affordability. That too many people are working too hard and not getting ahead,” Gov. Sherrill said.