MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The township’s jitney service will see an overhaul this summer, when changes to the current routes and the addition of a new route go into effect Monday, July 2. A new route will be added along Elmwood Avenue, beginning at Boyden Avenue. According to Calvin Bell, the Maplewood director of public works, the new route was added to serve a number of residents who live in the Avalon Apartments.
“We’re adding stops and making some changes to make it easier for the community,” Bell said in an interview with the News-Record on June 21. “There were some passengers that were walking too far to get to their stops.”
Some jitney stops currently located on the Parker Avenue route will become part of the new Elmwood route, including: the stops at Elmwood and Essex avenues, Lancaster and Elmwood avenues, and Prospect Street and Oakland Road.
“There was some overcrowding on the Parker route,” Bell said. “So those stops will no longer be on the Parker route. They will still be stops, but people who go there will instead be taking the Elmwood route.”
New stops will be added along the Parker route at Parker and Baldwin avenues, and Prospect Street and Summit Avenue. On the Wyoming route, a stop will be added at Mountain Avenue and Ridgewood Road. A new stop will also be added on the Hilton route, at Indiana Street and Springfield Avenue. The Maplecrest route will remain unchanged.
Bell said that the changes are a result of observations that he and the jitney drivers have made over time.
“It’s an observation that I’ve made, and I try to listen to the driver,” he said. “Riders should know that we’re trying to improve the community and we’ll hear any concerns if there are any.”
Residents with suggestions or concerns about the changes to the jitney routes may contact at the Department of Public Works at 973-762-1175.
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