WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Township Council unanimously approved an ordinance on second and final reading issuing $285,714.24 in bonds to fund the purchase of new buses for the town jitney service during its Oct. 6 meeting.
Township engineer Leonard Lepore told the West Orange Chronicle that the bond money — in addition to the township’s $14,285.76 down payment — will be enough to buy three, 33-seat passenger buses. Currently, the township’s largest buses contain 25 seats. And considering the popularity of the service, Lepore said bigger buses will be an asset.
“There are some runs on some of our routes where we’re really pushing the capacity of our buses,” Lepore said in an Oct. 17 phone interview, adding that the service allows only three standees when all seats are filled. “I don’t necessarily have the ability to have another bus on a route. So if I can expand the capacity with a larger bus, that’ll help.”
Lepore said that the service has a total of seven jitneys, though two of them are considerably older and primarily used as backup vehicles. One of the older buses is actually being repaired right now, he said. Once the township obtains the three new jitneys, which will likely happen in early 2017, the engineer said the two older buses probably will be retired.
The acquisition of the three new buses also will make it possible for West Orange to offer a sixth jitney route, Lepore said. The engineer said a new route covering the northwest area of town — which would include Pleasantdale, Redwood and other sections — is currently being discussed. But he said nothing is definite yet, as the township would have to make sure it has enough money in next year’s budget to cover the cost. He estimated that a new route would cost approximately $50,000 in operating expenses alone.
And the bond ordinance approved by the council will cover more than the additional jitneys. It also appropriated $325,000 and issued $309,523.76 in bonds to pay for various sewer improvements. In total, the ordinance appropriated $7,378,635 and issued $7,027,266 worth of bonds.
As for the money being used for the jitney expansion, Council President Victor Cirilo said the service is really an invaluable asset to the community considering West Orange’s large commuter population who rely on it to get to their trains. Plus, he said the service makes West Orange more attractive as far as the real estate market.
“I really believe that this service is directly responsible for additional interest from those commuters who look to the suburbs as a potential place to live,” Cirilo told the Chronicle in an Oct. 12 phone interview. “It is a driving factor.”
Cirilo said he voted in favor of the bond ordinance so the township will have buses able to serve even more residents. The council president also is interested in the possibility of adding a route since he knows the Pleasantdale/Redwood area is home to a significant number of commuters. A route covering those sections of town would make it more convenient for them to get into New York City, he said, and it would also allow for a potential connection to a Montclair Train Station for the first time.
Deena Rubin is one resident who certainly will appreciate a jitney service expansion. The West Orange real estate agent organized a group of Pleasantdale and Redwood community members earlier this year to push for a route covering the area and even mapped out a desired route to East Orange’s Brick Church Station that would start at Congregation AABJ&D and make stops at the Pleasantdale Presbyterian Church, B’nai Shalom, an area by the Prospect Avenue horse stables and Whole Foods.
Speaking to the Chronicle in an Oct. 13 phone interview, Rubin said she is excited to hear that a route covering Pleasantdale and Redwood may come to fruition. Having one would make it far easier for residents to get into New York, she said, and improve the neighborhoods’ real estate draw. Her group just hopes the expansion actually happens.
“We are very hopeful,” Rubin said. “We would be very disappointed if it did not come to pass.”
Rubin also said she hopes her group will be able to weigh in on any proposed route, pointing out that their own idea for one was the most efficient route they came up with after one member spent hours comparing train schedules to the amount of time it would take a jitney to get to the station. But she said the township has not yet asked them to consult.
Lepore said that the township is interested in getting the group’s feedback.
Councilman Joe Krakoviak said he would be in favor of expanding the jitney service — as long as it covers much or all of its own costs. Referring to administration data, Krakoviak said the service currently costs a total of $325,000 for 260 daily riders using five routes. But he said that number will rise since the new driver contract increased the driver expenditure to $209,208 starting in July, with 4.3 percent increases set for the next two years. According to the councilman, an additional route will exceed $65,000, more than Lepore’s $50,000 estimate.
Krakoviak’s solution to offsetting this cost is to charge riders for using the service, which has always been free. The councilman said that making the hundreds who use the jitneys pay will take the burden off of the thousands of taxpayers who fund the service. He said charging will also provide monies to pay for technology that can ensure only West Orange residents are riding the buses. Plus, he said the township would simply be doing what other communities have already been doing for years.
“My research shows that no other Essex community with a similar service provides a full subsidy as we do,” Krakoviak told the Chronicle in an Oct. 17 email. “And the people who use this service clearly have the ability to pay for it, since most are using it for transport to and from jobs. So I see no competitive disadvantage to our town from charging a fair price for the service.”
Cirilo said that charging for the service could be a possibility in the future, but he said the township will have to keep in mind that additional expenses might be accrued from having to follow federal guidelines for paid jitneys.
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