Public outcry over cancelled bus routes

The governor’s office, NJ Transit and the mayor of East Orange are among those expressing concern about Coach USA’s plans to discontinue its O.N.E. bus service through East Orange and surrounding communities.

As of Sunday, Oct. 8, the 24, 31 and 44 routes that travel through East Orange, Orange, South Orange, Newark and Elizabeth will no longer be in operation.
Since the announcement, there has been public outcry as many riders scramble to find alternative, affordable ways to travel.

“I join many of my fellow urban mayors and NJ Transit in my extreme disappointment with Coach’s decision to discontinue O.N.E. bus service on three vital routes in our communities,” said Mayor Ted R. Green. “The hardship that this will create on many East Orange riders could be devastating, without an alternative solution in near sight.”

Green said many residents rely on Coach USA for transportation to and from work and to access critical services, including the Veterans Hospital – one
of only two federal Veterans Affairs medical centers in the state.

“I am committed to working with all impacted parties to find a feasible solution that works for everyone,” Green said.

A statement from NJ Transit said the agency is assessing the impacts of Coach USA’s decision.

On WNYC’s “Ask Governor Murphy,” Gov. Phil Murphy said, while he has no concrete news to share, he did think there’s a short-term fix which is probably monetary-based.

“We’re taking it very seriously — largely through the Economic Development Authority,” Murphy said.

“We attempted to find a solution that would allow service to continue but none prevailed,” said Dan Rodriguez, vice president of public affairs at Coach USA. “Routes managed by operators such as O.N.E Bus, DeCamp Bus Lines and A&C Bus Corp are legacy lines that, in most cases, were created long before the New Jersey Transit was; as years progressed and costs went up, it became increasingly difficult to make them financially viable and fully operational. We have attempted every course of action to have prevented this, but without government assistance there is no alternative.”

Newel Scoon, vice president of the east for Coach USA, said it is no longer possible for the bus company to run the routes.

“We attempted to run uninterrupted service on those lines, but with decrease in ridership, driver shortages, inflationary pressures on all operating expenses and our strong desire in providing the most affordable mode of transportation, it simply became untenable to continue,” Scoon said.

Coach USA does not receive any subsidy from the government to run the lines.

“In an environment with consistently lower passenger counts and higher incurred costs, the losses are substantial. Revenue only covers about half of the
current cost of operating the service,” Scoon said.

Rodriguez said Coach USA “will continue to work with state and other officials so as to make the change less impactful on those customers affected by it.”
Coach USA has operated the bus lines and managed bus routes in the Newark area for more than 30 years.

  bus service, Coach USA, east orange, Orange