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Saddle River Tours no more


46Dover

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The MCIs went back to CMF(unsure about 18118 and 18119), and NJT was not happy with what they did with them.....they put steel wheels on them and removed the alcoas.

Also, NJT is also shopping around for ANOTHER company to take over the routes that Saddle River had.

Edited by Cait Sith
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There is a company that is looking at the project as we speak, but they have not received the ridership information as yet for the individual routes. I told them to focus on the 11C. They are not a small company. NJT should have no problem certifying them if they decide to go ahead. I have offered to manage the services on their behalf if needed.

If they decide not to go ahead, I will pick up the 55 with a bus and run the 11C with high-roof vans until the base is stabilized again. If NJT provides retired buses for the service, then I will run everything with buses. NJT will not give me new buses at this point, but they might give me retired buses. Word on the street is that Academy wants the Saddle River buses to replace some of their older cruisers. A swap could be arranged where Academy prepares the older buses for me and takes the 2017 buses from Saddle River. The 20/84 will not live without a subsidy, but it is possible that NJT could operate the route themselves.

It may also happen that NJT hands buses to Rockland Coaches and asks them to operate the 11C for six months while they figure it out. My guess is that NJT would have done this already if they wanted to, but it could still happen. It has been only a week. About 25%-30% of the 11C is unique and the overall operation is strategically important for Bergen County.

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Sounds like Saddle Tours can't compete with the Paterson Jitney or the NJT routes. Rode the bus to Englewood out of GWB once, remember thinking how comfortable those seats are. Saw people chatting and waiting for the bus. Wish Hicksville was built like that, tired of waiting at the underpass for the n48/49 and hearing people complain about the n22/24. 

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18 hours ago, NY1635 said:

Sounds like Saddle Tours can't compete with the Paterson Jitney or the NJT routes. Rode the bus to Englewood out of GWB once, remember thinking how comfortable those seats are. Saw people chatting and waiting for the bus. Wish Hicksville was built like that, tired of waiting at the underpass for the n48/49 and hearing people complain about the n22/24. 

That is far from why this is happening.

Saddle River has not been in the good graces of NJT. They lost the local routes due to poor maintenance on the NABIs, leaving some of those routes without buses and running EXPRESS buses on the local routes.

1 hour ago, JAzumah said:

The SRT buses are back on the road. I saw 18119 go into the GWB today and I confirmed it with their dispatch.

I don't think 18118-18119 left them yet, but some of their 17000s did.

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Not sure what ridership is any more on the 11C.  It was fairly busy at rush hour the last time I took it.  The weekend schedule is useless.  Whoever takes it over needs to improve on it.  Later weeknight bus service from the GW Bridge could help too.  It used to be 8.45 when Rockland Coaches last had it.

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16 minutes ago, Future ENY OP said:

Can (NJT) fully give the work back to Rockland Coaches. From what i remember they used to have the 11C, 20, back in the day. 

They (Rockland Coaches) scrapped those routes before it went to SRT, if I recall.

Edited by go25
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Not to mention SRT was given 18118 and 19 for Atlantic City for when they help with greyhound in the summer so they have LAVS. But instead run the non LAV 17000s, and that didn’t hit well with the hound when they got complaints because they paid for LAV service then hound got back to NJT when complaints rolled in. 17063 was frequent flyer and it quickly blew up in their faces. 
 

Them adding the steel wheels made a bigger problem into a straight now we have to take the buses because they voided the warranty and NJT is in the mist of forcing all private carriers to switch to Michelin Tires after all NJT buses are done by the end of February. 

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13 hours ago, 553 Bridgeton said:

Not to mention SRT was given 18118 and 19 for Atlantic City for when they help with greyhound in the summer so they have LAVS. But instead run the non LAV 17000s, and that didn’t hit well with the hound when they got complaints because they paid for LAV service then hound got back to NJT when complaints rolled in. 17063 was frequent flyer and it quickly blew up in their faces. 
 

Them adding the steel wheels made a bigger problem into a straight now we have to take the buses because they voided the warranty and NJT is in the mist of forcing all private carriers to switch to Michelin Tires after all NJT buses are done by the end of February. 

The Saddle River Retro?  What a waste 🤦‍♂️

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
8 hours ago, DCTransitFilms said:

Anybody knows where all the buses gonna go back to?

Word is that Academy wants their 17000s and Transit might give 18118-18119 to Meadowlands.

As for Saddle River's own fleet.....seized by the banks and are being sold off, including D4000 8787.

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25 minutes ago, Uncle Floyd Fan said:

SJU will need to update their info on shuttle service.

https://www.stjohns.edu/life-st-johns/student-services/shuttle-bus-service

Curious to see who will run it in the near future....maybe Peter Pan again?

 

Highly unlikely - they're stretched as is with their line run business since their split with Greyhound.

When they go out completely - this is now a when vs. an if, we may see a new carrier enter the mix - Trans Express/National Express would be my bet.  

Edited by ML111
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