'The Hop' Gets You Around Town

Not many people know about them, but they're available, and they're being revamped: the cross-town shuttle buses. 

With coming improvements, that white van that reads "Cross Town Shuttle" on the side, may just become your new best friend.

Today, there is one route that takes passengers from the PATH station along First Street to points as far west as Harrison Street or up Bloomfield Street to points as far north as Fourth Street. For $1—$0.50 for seniors and students—passengers can hop on or off at any point along the route. 

In the next two months, a second uptown route will be implemented, and in about six months, an uptown west route will round out what Transportation and Parking Director Ian Sacs refers to as Hoboken's "mini transportation system."

"The objective is to have three overlapping routes," said Sacs, who added that passengers could transfer between routes.

Currently, the buses run about every half hour, but riders' main complaint has been that they don't know where the busses are and when they will arrive at their stop.

Never fear, Sacs said he has a plan for that, too.

Partnering with Stevens Institute student David Pfeffer, soon riders can go online and see exactly where the next bus is via GPS tracking.

"I want to see people sitting at a café, looking at their iPhone and knowing when the next bus will be outside," said Sacs.

Also in the near future will be monthly passes—which will probably cost $30—and possibly annual passes, Sacs said. 

"It makes it more attractive for people. If they don't have to fumble with cash, they're more likely to jump on," said Sacs.

The cross-town bus branding is getting a fancy makeover, too. It will soon be renamed "The Hop," and the three routes will be color-coded. Sacs is even thinking about street markers that will show people where designated stops are located.

The City employs one full-time and one part-time driver for a total of $45,000, according to Sacs. He said also that fuel costs about $20,000 annually  and maintenance is roughly $5,000. The current total annual costs: roughly $70,000.

Sacs said that when he first re-introduced the cross-town bus with simplified route in September of 2009, it attracted less than 20 riders a day. And although the fare was still $1, it actually cost about $3 per rider to maintain the route.

"As ridership increases, the cost per passenger drops," said Sacs.

Today, ridership is up to a little over 100 people per day, and Sacs expects that the bus program will be financially self-sustainable by September.

One of these riders, Kristan Sands, 28, says that the bus is a big timesaver for her morning trek to the PATH. At Fourth and Park avenues she hailed the bus, but realizing her friend was lagging behind, asked the driver, Bernard, if he could wait a minute.

"He's the best," said Sands about Bernard.

"I use (the bus) in the winter a lot, when it's cold. It's faster than walking, though," she said. "It's nice and clean. Cheaper than taking a cab home after work, too!"

A cab fare anywhere in Hoboken costs $5. 

When Sacs mentioned the implementation of a GPS system for tracking bus routes, Sands said, "That would be amazing!"

The cross-town bus is still in its infancy, but Sacs maintains that there are big plans underway, and that soon the Hoboken Hop will merge seamlessly into the transportation needs of residents.

"We know that we're going in the right direction," Sacs said. "Soon people will be asking themselves, 'Am I going to walk or bike, or just take the shuttle?' and not even think about driving."