Traffic & Transit

NJ Transit Beefing Up Hudson County Bus Service On 119 Route

NJ Transit officials hope the extra buses will provide some much-needed relief for customers headed to and from Manhattan.

Starting on June 24, underutilized buses will be reassigned to accommodate increasing ridership on the No. 119 route.
Starting on June 24, underutilized buses will be reassigned to accommodate increasing ridership on the No. 119 route. (Liana Messina/Patch)

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — An extra 12 bus trips per day will soon begin on NJ Transit’s 119 route, part of an effort to beef up service on a heavily used line in Hudson County, officials announced Thursday.

Starting on Monday, June 24, underutilized buses in Hudson County will be reassigned to accommodate increasing ridership on the No. 119 route, NJ Transit reported.

According to the agency:

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“Over the past several months, NJ Transit has been working with contractor Academy to find solutions to crowding issues on the No. 119 route. By realigning Academy’s contract for Hudson County bus service, the improvements to the No. 119 can be made using existing buses and bus operators… The result is an additional 12 trips a day on the No. 119 route which operates from Bayonne through the Jersey City Heights neighborhood and to the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT). An additional seven trips will operate in the morning and five additional trips will depart the PABT in the evening.”

The changes come after residents of the Jersey City Heights neighborhood met with NJ Transit senior management last month to discuss the need for more buses on the busy 119 route.

“We hope that by maximizing our resources, we will provide some much-needed relief for customers headed to and from Manhattan and alleviate overcrowded buses,” NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett said.

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“Hudson County is growing, particularly the Jersey City Heights and Union City areas, and we have to pursue creative ways to accommodate our citizens’ need for public transportation,” said Union City Mayor and District 33 Senator Brian Stack.

District 33 State Assemblyman and Majority Whip Raj Mukherji said the 119 route, like others, has not kept up with demand.

"We are bracing for even greater strains on service as thousands of residential units under construction become occupied in the coming months and years,” Mukherji said. "I'm grateful to Kevin Corbett for coming to Hudson County and hearing our constituents’ concerns firsthand, and more importantly, for acting on it and taking meaningful steps to improve mass transit in our region."

See the schedule changes for the 119 route.

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