WEST ORANGE, NJ — Though a misunderstanding earlier this month caused residents to believe otherwise, Mayor Robert Parisi assured the West Orange Chronicle that the township’s planned sixth jitney route will include both the Redwood and Pleasantdale sections of West Orange.
Parisi — who apparently referred to a “Pleasantdale jitney” at a March 6 Realtors open house, leading people to think the route would only cover that neighborhood — stressed that the Redwood area was always intended to be included in the new route officially announced during his State of the Township Address on Feb. 8. And while that route has not yet been mapped out, he said the township is working to ensure that most of that half of town will be able to use the service that has benefited the other half for years.
“We’re going to cover as many people as we can,” Parisi said in a March 16 phone interview. “We have to figure out what’s the best way to handle that to get people to a train within a reasonable amount of time and be able to get back and hopefully do multiple runs from that side of town. We’re not as close to train stations as we are from the other side of town, so that presents a few extra challenges. But we’re working on that now.”
Currently no train station or specific stops have been decided, but Parisi said the township is committed to focusing on the Pleasant Valley Way and Eagle Rock Avenue corridor. An exact route will hopefully be announced within the next couple of weeks, he said.
Leonard Lepore, the township engineer, is taking a lead role in planning out the route; he did not respond to requests for comment before press time March 21.
Redwood resident Deena Rubin is certainly pleased to know that both sections of town will be covered. A real estate agent, she said she had been troubled to hear no mention of the Redwood neighborhood during the Realtors open house after spending more than a year organizing her neighbors to push for expanding the jitney for the two neighborhoods. So she alerted her neighbors, and they all took action quickly. She said they gathered numerous signatures in just 36 hours — even going out in the rain to collect them — and nine people spoke out in favor of including the Redwood area in the new route during the March 7 Township Council meeting.
Rubin said residents are thrilled that it is clear both sections of town will be included in the jitney route, with neighbors and potential buyers alike inundating her with calls. She said a jitney will be a huge selling point for buyers, who often look for easy access to New York City and choose other towns and areas of West Orange over Redwood and Pleasantdale due to jitney coverage. At the same time, she said current residents will no longer have to drive to train stations or catch a bus to commute into New York.
“It would absolutely enhance the quality of life and the efficiency and the convenience to have a service like this in our area,” Rubin told the Chronicle in a March 16 phone interview, adding that property values will likely increase as a result. “It’s a win-win-win all day long.”
With the route currently in the planning stage, Rubin said she hopes township officials will be willing to meet with her and other neighbors to discuss what stops should be included. In fact, she said a group of commuters has even mapped out a route to Brick Church Station in East Orange they think will work, based on actual travel times. That route starts at Congregation AABJ&D and makes stops at the Pleasantdale Presbyterian Church, B’nai Shalom, an area by the Prospect Avenue horse stables and Whole Foods. She said AABJ&D has even offered to host commuter parking for the route, and she is reaching out to B’nai Shalom to see if it is also still willing, as it has been in the past.
The group hopes the township will at least consider their ideas, and Rubin said she does not understand why West Orange officials would not. After all, she said, commuters will know what a route should have.
“It would make the most sense to speak with the commuter community within Pleasantdale and Redwood to find out how to best facilitate their needs,” Rubin said. “They are the ones who will be commuting. And so it is in everyone’s best interests to meet.”
In the meantime, the Jewish residents of the Redwood and Pleasantdale neighborhoods are already making an effort to attract new homeowners. Rubin said two temples in the region, AABJ&D and Ohr Torah, will again host a weekend in which potential buyers can visit the area and see what West Orange has to offer. She said the JCC MetroWest, local synagogues and nearby Jewish schools will also continue its affordability incentive giving membership and tuition discounts to new Jewish residents who need them. Those initiatives are enticing on their own, she said, but having a jitney route will make Redwood and Pleasantdale even more attractive.
But for all its benefits, the new jitney route does have a cost. Council President Joe Krakoviak said taxpayers are currently subsidizing 260 riders for at least $360,000 per year, referring to a 2016 analysis done by township CFO John Gross, as well as newer costs. That is nearly $1,400 per person, Krakoviak said.
Breaking that down further, Krakoviak said the 2016 analysis showed that each of the five existing routes costs roughly $65,000 to operate. From 2014 to 2016, he said costs rose by 25 percent while ridership only increased by 8 percent. And that was all before the rise in fuel prices and a new driver contract that sees the township paying 20 percent more in its first year, he said.
To offset those costs, the council president said West Orange should be charging for the jitney just as every other municipality in Essex County with such a service does. Per his calculations, costs are rising three times the rate of increasing ridership — and that is using old numbers. That financial picture will only get worse as time goes on, he said.
“It’s unfair to ask taxpayers to provide such a large subsidy to a limited number of people, most of whom have jobs and can afford to pay,” Krakoviak told the Chronicle in a March 20 email. “The jitney service is gobbling more and more of our budget. If people who support this service value it so highly, they should be willing to support it directly as pay-as-you-go.”
According to Gross’ analysis, which Krakoviak had previously provided to the Chronicle, charging $3 per day would raise $202,800 in revenue and cover 56 percent of the jitney’s total operating cost. Charging $1 per day would raise $67,600 and cover 19 percent of the cost.
Paying to use the jitney is not out of the question for Rubin. She said $1 per ride would be a reasonable price for commuters that would also add up to a sizeable revenue stream for West Orange. She also suggested making sure that only township residents can use the service as another way of saving money.
According to Parisi though, the operating expenses for the new route will actually add up to roughly $50,000 — a little less than what Krakoviak stated. And while that will definitely have an effect on the municipal budget, the mayor said that this amount is minor compared to the price of salary increases and other operational costs.
As for the idea of charging for the jitney to offset its expense, Parisi said the Township Council will have to make that decision for itself. He did point out, however, that the township has not charged for the service in approximately two decades. And he does not think that should change.
“Certain services provide an intangible value to the entire community, and I believe the jitney is one of them,” Parisi said. “Right now, (the administration has) no intention of charging for the jitney.”
Meanwhile, Parisi said there are currently no plans to expand the jitney further since this sixth route will ensure the service covers most of West Orange. Still, he said the administration will consider any other expansion opportunities as they arise.
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