New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says he is exploring options to help riders who depend on DeCamp Bus Lines in North Jersey, as the 153-year-old transit company plans to shut down its New York City-bound commuter service on April 7.
“It's a fairly short runway here,” Murphy said in response to a Montclair caller on "Ask Governor Murphy,” the monthly show on WNYC. “Their date is only a matter of weeks. So let me just say this. I don't have news to make in terms of exactly what the plan is, but I promise you all options are on the table.”
The governor said it’s possible NJ Transit could play a role in serving DeCamp’s riders.
The private bus company, based in Montclair, announced this week it could no longer afford to run its 80 daily trips in and out of New York. It plans to continue charter, shuttle and casino services.
Rep. Mikie Sherill (D-Montclair) sent a letter to the House Committee on Appropriations' Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development on Wednesday seeking federal funds for transportation. She cited the DeCamp announcement as a demonstration of the need.
“Not only has this left riders in search of options to make their way from North Jersey to Manhattan, it has imperiled the good union jobs that the commuter service supports,” Sherrill wrote. “As you know, reliable access to transit is crucial for economic dynamism and competitiveness, and I am concerned that major gaps in New Jersey’s transportation network will emerge in the absence of immediate action.”
She specifically asked for the “highest possible funding level” for the Federal Transit Administration, and for the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services, which provided grants to transportation companies that lost revenue in the pandemic. DeCamp received approximately $3 million in funds through the program.
Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia, in a Facebook post on Wednesday, urged NJ Transit to take over the routes vacated by DeCamp — saying the loss of service would have a “significant impact on the lives of residents, especially those who are most vulnerable and dependent on public transportation.”
Venezia also said municipal officials were committed to working with other bus services to fill the void, and that the township would explore options for expanding its shuttle services. Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller said on Facebook he’d coordinate with other levels of government to ensure residents had “continued, uninterrupted access to New York City,” but didn’t lay out specific plans.
DeCamp was founded in 1870 after Union Army Maj. Jonathan W. DeCamp returned from the Civil War and began running a covered wagon between Roseland and Newark. It’s the oldest bus service in New Jersey.
The company never recovered from the shutdown due to COVID-19, according to current owner Jonathan DeCamp. Its daily ridership before the pandemic averaged around 6,800 riders. The company resumed some of its commuter bus service in Essex, Hudson Passaic and Bergen counties in June 2021, but never restored service to pre-pandemic levels.
Although ridership increased as offices reopened, the commuter service into Manhattan still only averages about 1,300 riders per day, DeCamp said.
“We don't have a state operating subsidy and we can't continue to operate at a loss indefinitely,” DeCamp said. He said he would welcome state or federal aid for what he described as a public service operated by a private company.
Because the company already has buses, drivers and infrastructure, it could provide commuter service much more quickly and at a lower price than replacing the service with NJ Transit buses, DeCamp said. It’s also unlikely the state-run mass transit agency, which struggles financially to keep up its existing bus lines, would provide the same level of service to DeCamp customers, he added.
“They might not be able to walk out their door and walk to the corner of the block and pick up a bus,” DeCamp said. “They might have to now drive to a train station or drive to a park and ride or make a transfer.”
