New Jersey Transit said that as of March 30, it is adjusting its weekday bus service to a special schedule to accommodate essential travel due to the decline in ridership related to COVID-19.
Due to the rapidly changing nature of the COVID-19 response, customers are strongly encouraged to sign up for My Transit alerts and activate push notifications on the mobile app to receive the latest status of the system.
As of Friday Transit had 19 employees test positive for COVID-19 out of almost 12,000 employees, NJ Transit spokesman Jim Smith told NJBIZ. The agency has seen an approximately 90 percent reduction in ridership.
Also as of March 30th bus service will no longer operate out of Vince Lombardi Park & Ride in Ridgefield. Customers should utilize the nearby North Bergen Park & Ride facility.
Complete weekday bus schedules are available on njtransit.com here.
AARON HOUSTON
As an added precautionary measure to protect bus operators and customers, Transit has implemented rear-door boarding on all bus routes where rear-boarding is available. Seats near the bus operator have been taken out of service to allow for proper social distancing for the operator. Customers are encouraged to use the Transit mobile ticketing app or purchase paper tickets prior to boarding to limit cash transactions with the bus operator. Travel should be limited to essential personnel only.
In addition to the bus schedule adjustments, on March 25, previously announced service changes to light rail service went into effect.
Newark Light Rail weekday service is operating on a Saturday schedule. RiverLINE weekday service is operating on a Sunday/Holiday schedule. The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail weekday service remains on a regular weekday schedule.
Rail continues to operate on a weekday service on a Presidents Day schedule with enhancements including the following additions: Raritan Valley Line service to/from High Bridge; service to/from Hackettstown; additional stops at Teterboro, Woodcliff Lake, Avenel, Garwood and North Elizabeth Stations.
The Presidents Day schedule does not include service at Jersey Avenue station. The Pascack Valley Line rail service is on a special weekday schedule to accommodate added stops at Teterboro and Woodcliff Lake.
Transit is offering additional early morning trains on the Northeast Corridor and the North Jersey Coast Line.
The Montclair-Boonton Line service west of Bay St. and Gladstone Branch rail service will both operate on weekdays only.
