Bounded by New York in the North and the Northeast, New Jersey is a city with one of the most efficient public transportation systems. Whether one prefers roadways, waterways, or railways, New Jersey’s public transport never fails to amaze both daily commuters and tourists who wish to travel like locals. The strategic location of New Jersey between the metropolitan cities of Philadelphia and New York has seemed to have added to the efficiency and rapid progress of the public transport in New Jersey. Even though New Jersey is a small state, traffic jams are a big concern facing motorists.
Nevertheless, cars, taxis and buses are a great way to commute via roadways in New Jersey. Apart from this several private agencies function in the waterways part of commutation. While the waterways commutation has made travelling easy to far-off places, it has also given birth to cruise tours and made travel both easy and interesting for the natives and visitors alike. With the rail division of the public transport in New Jersey, natives have found an easy and cheap alternative for both inter and intra-city travels. The below-mentioned article discusses all the forms of transportation available in New Jersey and what is best for each kind of commutation.
Buses
Under the administration of New Jersey Transit, almost 1785 buses run on 247 different bus routes. Of this number 327 are privately operated and add to the local and long-distance bus service in all 21 New Jersey counties. Having bus stops in almost every county, the NJ transit buses terminate at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal and the Greyhound Terminal in Philadelphia. Other than the NJ transit buses, Megabus, Peter Pan and Bolt Bus convey commuters to cities along the East Coast, including Boston, Baltimore and Washington D.C. For travellers residing out of New Jersey, the Greyhound Lucky Streak bus is a direct transport to Atlantic City.
Ferries
New Jersey’s public transport, just like other American states, has ferries to convey people off-shore and to various parts of states and counties. Starting from mainly Delaware Bay and New York Harbour, ferries in New Jersey take different routes and cover areas not covered by other modes of transportation. The 80 minute long ferry ride from Delaware Bay – Cape May – Lewes Ferry, carries both automobiles and passengers between Cape May, New Jersey and Lewes. The Delaware River and Bay Authority not only operates the Cape May – Lewes Ferry but also several others like Forts Ferry Crossing between Fort Mott, New Jersey and Fort Delaware and Fort DuPont in Delaware. New York Harbour ferries are mostly run by private companies and there are several running between New Jersey and Manhattan. Renowned names like the Liberty Landing, NY Waterway, and Seastreak ferry connect New York to Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken and the Atlantic Highlands.
Train
Rails or trains form a large part of the transportation in New Jersey. The Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH), operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is the connecting medium between the New Jersey cities of Newark, Harrison, Jersey City and Hoboken to Manhattan. With 13 stations, PATH runs 24/7 and consists of 3 terminals in New Jersey and 2 terminals in Manhattan. Another rail system running in New Jersey is under the administration of the Delaware River Port Authority. Consisting of 9 stations in New Jersey, the PATCO Speedline operates between Camden County and Centre City, Philadelphia. Almost all the New Jersey stations are equipped with parking facilities and the stop at Woodcrest Station is directly connected to Exit 31 of Interstate 295. One of the biggest reasons why PATCO is considered a major transport system in New Jersey is because it operates 24/7.
Light Rail
Constituted by 3 separate light rail lines: the Hudson Bergen Light Rail, Newark Light Rail and River Line, the New Jersey Transit works as per a proof-of-payment
fare collection system, which is common throughout the rest of the United States. The Newark Light Rail includes the Newark City Subway and Broad Street Line and is the oldest of the three.
Amtrak
Running between Boston and Washington, Amtrak is the intercity passenger rail service in New Jersey and operates a total of 110 trains daily. Managing two local routes: the Northeast region and Keystone Service, Amtrak covers the whole Northeast corridor and the Keystone Corridor. Note that there are only a few trains running till New York, but Amtrak is a convenient mode of transport to travel in a few cities.
Taxis
New Jersey’s transport, specifically taxis, combine both normal taxis and limos. So, in case, one needs to book a car for private and special occasions, without any further thought, opt for limos. But for a daily commute and cheaper rides, normal taxis are a convenient option for a privatised experience.
The aforementioned article gives an understanding of the public transport and popular mode of commutation in New Jersey. A large number of buses, 1785 to be precise, have made roadways travel cheapest for daily commuters. Complimenting the roadways is the waterways transportation, which carries both people and automobiles off-shore and to far-off places. Running on two of the most important harbours, namely Delaware Bay and New York Harbour, ferries are a backbone of the transportation system in New Jersey and have immensely contributed to the tourism sector with cruise tours and evening cruises.
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