HOBOKEN “HOP” COMMUNITY SHUTTLE BUS SYSTEM EXCEEDS 50,000 PASSENGERS
50% Ridership Increase in 6 Months
The Department of Transportation and Parking announced today that the Hoboken Hop community shuttle bus system recently surpassed 50,000 passengers since re-inception of the program by Mayor Dawn Zimmer in Fall 2009. Since mid-August 2010, the Blue Hop has been joined by the Green and Red Hops for a comprehensive city-wide system, providing shuttle service within a 5-minute walk of nearly every Hoboken resident.
“Thousands of residents in all corners of the city are finding The Hop easy and convenient for getting around Hoboken,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “I am happy we are able to provide this service to our residents who deserve high-quality community transportation options.”
Over the past six months, system ridership has increased by 51 percent, with hundreds of passengers riding The Hop buses every day, including students, seniors, commuters, parents, and city employees. Several larger buildings have even found The Hop as an economical alternative to the high cost of exclusive shuttle services. Since the implementation of the new Hop system, nearly four times as many residents have benefited from shuttle services compared to the Crosstown Shuttle.
The position of each bus along its route is tracked in real time using state-of-the-art GPS technology and is accessible by three means:
- The City website: http://www.hobokennj.org/thehop
- Texting “bus bluehop”, “bus greenhop” or “busredhop” to 41411
- Calling 201-293-8958
The Hop webpage on the city's website receives more daily hits than any other page (except the homepage), and the text messaging system exceeds 2100 requests per week.
Unlimited ride monthly and annual passes are currently undergoing testing and are expected to be available to the public this summer. They will be available for purchase at Hoboken Parking Utility as well as online pending City Council approval of HPU’s permitting software. Condos and larger apartment buildings can already pre-purchase single-ride passes for their building tenants at the Parking Utility.
"We recognize that The Hop is critical to many residents as they move around Hoboken, so making the system better is a major area of effort for us,” said Transportation and Parking Director Ian Sacs. “We're focusing on reliability and convenience at the moment as we add technology features that make the bus accessible for everyone."
In Fall 2009, Mayor Zimmer re-instated the city's community shuttle bus and re-branded it "The Hop", with "hop on, hop off" service on the far side of every block along its route. The new system added GPS technology and improved on route coverage, frequency, and reliability. Since then, the system has expanded city-wide to three routes: Blue, Green, and Red. ]
Blue Hop: covers southern Hoboken up to Fourth Street.
Green Hop: covers western and northwestern Hoboken up to Fifteenth Street.
Red Hop: covers eastern and northeastern Hoboken up to Twelfth Street.
The Hop service runs from 7:00am to 7:00pm Monday through Friday (Blue Hop runs until 8:00pm). During off-peak hours (9:00am to 4:00pm), the Red Hop operates as the Senior Shuttle. The current single-ride fare is $1.00, $0.50 for students, and free for seniors and children under 12.
For more information, including a live map, routes, and schedule of all Hop buses, visit the city's website: http://www.hobokennj.org/thehop
Link: http://www.hobokennj.org/news/hoboken-hop-community-bus-shuttle-system-exceeds-50000-passengers/ ◦
