Jersey City bus cuts have Island riders seeing red

Borough commuters blast private carrier's reduction in service

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

By MAURA YATES

STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

Gloria McKeon doesn't normally hitchhike, but when a stranger pulled over at an Elm Park bus stop to offer her and two co-workers a ride to work in Jersey City yesterday morning, she jumped at the chance.

The motorist was Dorothy Fox, and like other Jersey City-bound commuters, she had given up on waiting for a late Red & Tan bus. It was the second day of the carrier's new, scaled-back schedule to Jersey City, and Ms. Fox decided to drive in order to get to work on time.

"It's just really a nightmare," Ms. McKeon said of the unpredictable new schedule.

For Ms. McKeon, a South Beach resident; Ms. Fox, of New Springville, and as many as 600 other Staten Islanders who rely on the bus line, it is the only expedient and cost-effective option for getting to work in Jersey City, where several financial institutions relocated from Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks.

The problem for Island commuters: A choice between a 30-minute ride on a standing-room-only private bus known for spotty service, or tacking another 90 minutes for a circuitous route, via Manhattan by bus and then the PATH train.

Now that the new Red & Tan schedule has eliminated four pickup times from the rush-hour schedule, leaving wait times between buses from 30 to 60 minutes, the choices for riders are even more limited.

For that reason, community leaders vowed yesterday to pressure the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to begin a new bus service to compensate for budget-related cutbacks on Red & Tan's Jersey City route.

"They really need to step up to the plate," said Linda Baran, president and CEO of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. "The onus should not be on a private company, but on the MTA."

Legislation required to enable such service across state lines to connect the borough with the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail over the Bayonne Bridge was passed in August.

"The MTA has no more excuses," Ms. Baran said. "These commuters need relief now."

Her view was echoed by politicians assembled at the Forest Avenue and Trantor Place bus stop in Elm Park, timed to coincide with the morning rush.

City Councilman Michael McMahon (D-North Shore) echoed her call while expressing disgust with the long wait for a needed service. "We are a community of half a million people, and we can't get a bus out of town. It's ridiculous," he said.

"We would like to see the MTA move a little quicker than they usually move, so we can get people over to Bayonne and prevent them from getting into their cars," said Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island), who authored the legislation.

An MTA study of the demand for such service is due before the end of the year, and no decisions will be made until it is complete, said MTA spokesman Tim O'Brien.

In the meantime, the MTA has been discussing the feasibility of such service with the Port Authority and New Jersey Transit, O'Brien said, and if the study shows the service would work, the agencies will "figure out how to marshal the necessary resources," O'Brien said.

Borough President James Molinaro said the MTA should provide an interim bus service to help ease the crisis with Red & Tan. "If it doesn't pan out, fine, but give me some relief now," he said.

In response to commuters who said they were caught off guard last week when fliers advertising the new schedule were sporadically passed out on buses, Councilman Andrew Lanza (R-South Shore) announced in a letter written to New York City Transit President Lawrence Reuter that he will draft legislation that would prevent a private bus company from making major schedule changes with less than 45 days' notice.

Letters also were sent by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn).

Maura Yates covers transportation news for the Advance. She may be reached at myates@siadvance.com.

 

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