New Jersey
NJ Transit taking on 20 North Jersey bus routes abruptly dropped by Coach USA
NJ Transit price hike: What to know about rates going up on July 1
NJ Transit’s board unanimously approved a fare increase of 15% on July 1 and 3% every year after that.
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.
A shooting investigation in Camden County has prompted a large police response, according to a source.
Léelo en español aquí
The shooting unfolded in the area of Locust Court in Winslow Township in the evening of June 17.
SkyForce10 was over the scene of what looked like a residential complex as several police cars were visible lining the streets.
Police tape appeared to be blocking off the area as officers looked at a sedan that appeared to have crashed into another car.
No word yet on what led to the shooting or if anyone was hurt.
A New Jersey man pleaded guilty in connection to a car accident that killed a woman and a girl in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, last July.
Raul Luna-Perez, 43, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of assault by auto and aggravated manslaughter, on Monday, June 15, 2026, prosecutors said.
He is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 28, 2026.
According to Ocean County officials, on July 26, 2025, officers from Lakewood Township responded to a car crash with multiple injuries at the intersection of Cross Street and Hearthstone Drive.
In the investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Lakewood Township Police, and Ocean County Sherrif’s department, it was revealed that a Dodge Durango operated by Luna-Perez, also holding a passenger, crossed into an oncoming lane of traffic and collided head-on with a Nissan Sentra.
Maria Pleitez, 42, and two 11-year-old girls were inside the Nissan Sentra at the time.
Pleitez was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. One of the 11-year-old girls was transported to Monmouth Medical Center South Campus where she died from her injuries. The second 11-year-old girl was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC) where she was treated for her injuries and eventually released.
The passenger in Luna-Perez’s Dodge Durango received minor injuries as a result of the crash, and was treated at JSUMC.
According to police, first responders at the scene detected that Luna-Perez was showing signs of impairment. He was transported to JSUMC, where his blood was drawn. The results of the blood test included a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.19 and traces of cocaine.
In New Jersey, operators of cars are presumed to be over the legal limit for alcohol consumption when their Blood Alcohol Content is 0.08 or greater. As a result of the blood test of Luna-Perez, his charges were upgraded to two counts of aggravated manslaughter and strict liability vehicular manslaughter on Aug. 7, 2025, investigators reveal.
That same day, Luna-Perez was taken into custody at an ICE detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, though he was transported to Ocean County Jail by detectives and has been detained there since.
Subsequently in the investigation, it was revealed that Luna-Perez was accelerating at approximately 60 miles-per-hour at the time of the crash and crossed the yellow line.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the State of New Jersey will be seeking two 10-year terms for each aggravated manslaughter charge of Luna-Perez, and an 18-month sentence for his assault by auto offense. The aggravated manslaughter sentences will run consecutively, while the assault by auto sentence will run concurrently.
WEST ORANGE, New Jersey (WABC) — West Orange, New Jersey bid farewell to a piece of history Tuesday night.
The Pullman rail car, dating back nearly 120 years, has seen better days. For the past four decades it’s been part of a restaurant in West Orange, but now that restaurant is closed, and the rail car is moving along to a new life.
It was my playground as a young kid growing up,” said Tony Markouris, the son of the owner. “It was a beautiful, historic landmark that was also sculpted in West Orange and brought a lot of people to the area as a historic landmark.”
What began as a luxurious, private, rail car for a copper baron in 1909, later was hitched to the Essex House restaurant in West Orange as a dining experience for the common man.
“It’s worth mentioning that Robert Lincoln, the son of Abraham Lincoln, was the president of the Pullman Company when this train car was manufactured, and he certainly would have overseen the construction of this,” said West Orange historian Joseph Fagan.
After 40 years, the restaurant closed and the Pullman car fell victim to time.
So, the owners decided to donate the rail car to a trust. Plans are to restore it to its former Gilded Age glory, and put it back on track to run as a two-hour, dining, train ride in Boyertown, Pennsylvania.
“A lot of times cars go to railroad museums and put on display, but for this car to get life to operate again is just really exceptional,” said David Duncan, an historic railcar consultant.
Eyewitness News is told the restoration project will take at least two years. Meanwhile, plans are to turn this former restaurant and parking lot into an apartment complex.
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More New Jersey news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Download our connected TV app
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2026 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.
-
Missouri5 minutes ago
Missouri Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 winning numbers for June 17, 2026
-
Montana12 minutes ago
Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for June 17, 2026
-
Nebraska19 minutes agoBandits back in the win column with tournament-opening victory in Nebraska – East Idaho News
-
Nevada27 minutes agoLETTER: Don’t target Nevada EVs with taxes
-
New Hampshire30 minutes agoHusband kills wife, then himself, in N.H. home, officials believe
-
New Jersey35 minutes agoShooting investigation underway at South Jersey residential complex, source says
-
New Mexico42 minutes agoRio Fire grows to 128 acres
-
North Carolina45 minutes agoCollege World Series finals set: North Carolina vs. Oklahoma for the national title
