Friday, October 29, 2010

Senior Bus Hours Extended for Hoboken Hop

It was a initially a mistake IMHO for the current Zimmer Administration to change the schedule for the Senior bus even though the Hop is a very good program conceptually to give Hoboken more public transportation options. It would appear that this Adminstration does indeed listen to its constituents and has responded with the following improvement.....

SENIOR SHUTTLE BUS HOURS EXTENDED: RELIABILITY IMPROVES

Transportation and Parking Director Ian Sacs and Human Services Director Leo Pellegrini announced today that starting Monday, November 1, 2010, the Senior Shuttle bus will begin its daily schedule one hour earlier. The Senior Shuttle route, which shares a bus with the Red Hop, will now begin at 9:10 am departing the Multi-Service Center on its regular route. The only difference will be that instead of starting at 10:10 am, it will begin an hour earlier at 9:10 am. Accordingly, the Red Hop route in the morning will end an hour earlier. The Senior Shuttle will continue to operate throughout the day until 3:45 pm, with its last stop at the Multi-Service Center. The only interruption of this service is during the driver's lunch break from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm.

"We heard that seniors really needed that additional hour, and we were able to make it work," said Director Pellegrini.

In addition to the extended hours, close tracking of schedule and route performance has resulted in significantly improved reliability. Based on feedback Mayor Zimmer and Council Members Peter Cunningham, David Mello and Michael Lenz received from seniors, many of the major concerns about punctuality and staying on-route are being resolved. City Hall staff have been monitoring punctuality via the on-board GPS systems and on-street corroboration. Nonetheless, Director Sacs acknowledged that there is a continuing need to improve these services.

New City of Hoboken Senior Bus Schedule (as of 10/29/2010)
"I recognize it's a slow turnaround, but we're working this out,” said Director Sacs. “I'd like to thank all the seniors for their patience and understanding as we step carefully through the process of restoring a critical senior amenity.”

On Thursday, October 28, Directors Sacs and Pellegrini stopped in at the Multi-Service Center during bingo to deliver the update and answer questions. Drivers are now required to radio in to the Parking Utility whenever they are taken off-route by road closures or if they get delayed by traffic.

Seniors may ride all Hop buses for free and can call in to the Parking Utility (201-653-1919) or the Senior Services office at the Multi-Center Center (201-420-2054) to find out about any schedule delays or changes.

Click below to download the updated Senior Shuttle Flyer with route and schedule:

http://hobokennj.org/docs/transportation/Senior-Shuttle-Flyer-Oct-2010.pdf

Link: http://www.hobokennj.org/news/senior-shuttle-bus-hours-extended-reliability-improves/
Share/Bookmark