End Of An Era For DeCamp Bus: NJ Company Stopping NYC Routes

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Do you use DeCamp Bus Lines to get from North Jersey to New York City? It’s time to rethink your commute, the company announced Monday.

According to DeCamp, it will be ending commuter services to and from New York City beginning Friday, April 7. DeCamp Bus Lines will no longer operate service on bus routes 33, 66/66R, 44, 99, 88, 32 and 100, as of Saturday, April 8.

DeCamp Bus Lines will continue operating daily charter, shuttle and casino services. Read More: Bus Line Is Stopping NYC Trips; Officials Look To NJ Transit For Solution

DeCamp, the oldest privately owned and operated bus company in New Jersey, is headquartered in Montclair (read more about its history here). Over the past years, many commuters in North Jersey have leaned on its routes as a way to get to work in New York City.

The company – which had just announced it was expanding service on one of its routes in January – gave more details about the decision in a message to customers:

“As we pass the three-year mark from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, DeCamp Bus Lines has struggled to recapture daily commuter passengers as work-from-home, telecommuting and flex schedules severely reduced daily commuting to New York City. Despite our best efforts, monthly ridership averages 20% or less of pre-COVID levels. DeCamp has sustained commuter services up to this point, thanks to the various federal and state financial assistance programs. But, without further assistance on the horizon, the economic losses from continued operations of the commuter services are too much to bear.”

DeCamp continued:

“We want to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support throughout the years. Serving you has been a pleasure, and we appreciate your loyalty to DeCamp Bus Lines. We deeply regret any inconvenience this decision may cause, and we hope you can understand the challenging circumstances that led to this decision.”

The company recommended that commuters seeking a new way of getting across the Hudson River try NJ Transit. Unused, unexpired DeCamp tickets can be returned to DeCamp Bus Lines for a refund.

“Once again, we extend our sincerest thanks to our customers who have trusted us for their commuting needs throughout the years,” the company concluded. “We hope you continue to keep DeCamp Bus Lines in mind for future transportation needs.”

A tweet from DeCamp announcing the news got some stunned replies. As seen online:

• “I’m one of those who stopped commuting, but I feel for the people who are affected by this.”
• “Wow that’s terrible. I feel for the employees and staff.”
• “Just awful news.”

According to its website, the company was making 200 trips per day between points in northern New Jersey and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan before the pandemic hit.

DeCamp was one of many companies and nonprofits in New Jersey that received funds from the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which is meant to help businesses keep workers on their payrolls during the COVID-19 crisis. Read More: Coronavirus PPP Loans In Montclair (Where The Money Went)

However, DeCamp also claimed that it was among other motorcoach, tour and travel businesses that were "shut out" of other federal stimulus packages during the COVID-19 shutdown. Read More: Coach USA Offers Temporary Lifeline For DeCamp Bus Riders In NJ

In 2020, a DeCamp spokesperson offered the following statement about the situation to Patch:

“While the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act directed $1.4 billion in FTA funding to New Jersey, that amount has been allocated only to NJ Transit, leaving private carriers such as DeCamp without a similar lifeline. Private carriers account for an estimated 35 percent of the scheduled bus service in the state, based on passenger miles, and our collective operations actually help to generate FTA funding for the state of New Jersey. So it is disappointing that we cannot access relief funds that would enable us to continue to serve our passengers and to provide jobs for our employees.”

After suspending service for more than a year, DeCamp Bus Lines resumed limited service in June 2021.

DeCamp announced it was ramping up service and expanding routes in November 2021. Those routes included buses in the Essex County towns of Nutley, West Caldwell, Caldwell, Verona, Montclair, Bloomfield, Roseland, West Orange and Belleville.

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