Central Avenue Bus Campaign
Development continues to impact life in Jersey City including local mass transit services. In 2006, Central Avenue temporarily lost its bus service and it took the involvement of the entire community to get it back. The CASID continues to work with community leaders and elected officials to further restore and improve mass transit services along Central Avenue. For the convenience of our constituents, we have constructed this page to keep you up to date on this very important issue.
On October 3, 2011, COACH USA Red & Tan announced its intent to discontinue service on both bus routes #4 and #99-S effective Midnight on November 6, 2011. By October 14, 2011, elected officials announced that the lines would be saved by transferring to other operators. More information and updates on this matter will be posted here as it becomes available.
The New 119 Bus Line (5am to 10 am then 3pm to 10pm weekdays):
88 Bus Line (rerouted to run on Central between 10 am and 3 PM weekdays):
NJ Transit tickets for the 88 and 119 bus lines can be purchased locally at DC Travel Bureau Inc (just off of Central Avenue at 2 Lincoln St, Jersey City) which is a Commissioned Ticket Agent. DC Travel sells one-way and ten trip tickets as well as monthly passes. For directions or store hours, please call: 201.653.1600.
Click here for a look back at the changes to mass transit on Central Avenue (2006-2011).
The Top Five Needs of the New 119 Bus Route
October 31, 2011
Hudson County commuters and bus riders were relieved to hear Coach USA's soon to be defunct bus 10/99s bus line that ran from Bayonne, through Jersey City and into Midtown Manhattan, would be replaced after it ended on November 6th. On November 7th, NJ Transit and Academy Bus Company will replace the 10/99s bus route with the brand new 119 bus route into the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.
As the new plans for the 119 Bus Route have emerged, a number of Jersey City Heights-based 10/99s commuters have voiced their fears that the current plan for the new 119 bus will leave many riders out in the cold. At No.5. Jersey City Locations to Purchase Monthly and 10-Trip Ticket Passes. Where is someone supposed to pick up their NJ Ticket passes if they live in Jersey City or Bayonne? Convenience is key.
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Jersey Journal - Portions of discontinued 4 and 99S bus lines will resume under different operators
October 14, 2011
In a move that will delight commuters, local shoppers and Jersey City business owners, NJ Transit and A&C Bus will take up the bus routes that Red & Tan bus company announced last week it is discontinuing, and there will be no lapse in service, state and local officials said today.
A&C will take over Red & Tan's 4 bus, which runs from Merritt Street to the Newport Center mall, according to Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, who just emerged from a meeting with state officials called to discuss the matter.
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NBC News - Jersey City Merchants Gripe Over Bus Service Cancellation
October 13, 2011
Merchants along a busy main street in Jersey City are fighting plans to end bus service there. Bus company Red and Tan Lines announced it will end all bus service on Central Avenue after Nov. 6, citing declining ridership. It said it was no longer able to make a profit on the run. "It's a death penalty," Michael Yun of Garden State News said, emphasizing mass transportation as a critical issue for his community.
For Daniel Aguirra of Lodi, N.J., it means an end to his commute by car to the neighborhood, where he currently parks and then rides the bus to Manhattan. Aguirra said he frequently picks up food after work, or shops at the Central Avenue stores instead of going to Wal-Mart. Once the buses stop running, "I have no reason to come here," Aguirra said.
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Jersey Journal - Bayonne mayor joins chorus of Jersey City merchants in calling on Red & Tan bus company to continue operating 99S route
October 11, 2011
Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith has called on the Red & Tan bus company to halt its plan to discontinue the 99S bus after Nov. 6.
The bus line, which runs from Bayonne through Jersey City and ends at the Port Authority bus terminal in New York, is one of two lines the company plans to discontinue next month, according to its general manager, who blamed low ridership for the decision.
But halting the 99S route is “unacceptable,” Smith said Friday in a news release.
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Jersey Journal - Business owners on Jersey City's Central Avenue object to imminent end of 99S bus
October 10, 2011
Business owners on Jersey City’s Central Avenue are “going crazy” over bus company Red & Tan’s imminent decision to halt the 99S bus, which runs along the business corridor.
Michael Yun, who owns Garden State news and heads the Central Avenue Special Improvement District board, said Red & Tan’s move will devastate businesses there, leaving shoppers no way to get to Central Avenue from other parts of the city.
“It’s a very critical issue for the business community,” Yun said.
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Jersey Journal - Jersey City and Bayonne will lose 99S and 4 buses; Red & Tan Lines says their ridership is low
The Red & Tan bus company will eliminate its 99S and 4 buses next month, an action that could leave commuters scrambling to find alternative routes to work.
The 99S bus starts in Bayonne, travels up Kennedy Boulevard to Journal Square, then north on Central Avenue and ends at the Port Authority bus terminal in New York. The 4 bus travels from Merritt Street to Newport Center in Jersey City. The two lines will cease running after Nov. 6.
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Click here for a look back at the changes to mass transit on Central Avenue (2006-2011).