New Bus Route Will Run From Chatham To Downtown NYC

CHATHAM, NJ — Looking for a new way to travel from Chatham to downtown NYC? A new bus route is launching this week, taking local commuters to downtown Manhattan.

Boxcar, a Chatham-based transportation company, announced on Friday, July 14, that it will launch its first Downtown Manhattan bus service.

The morning-only bus will make its inaugural run on Tuesday, July 18, departing Convent Station at 5:45 a.m., continuing to Madison and departing at 5:55 a.m., and returning to Chatham at 6 a.m.

On the route, there will be three stops:

• Varick/Franklin (Holland Tunnel)
• Barclay/Broadway (City Hall)
• Barclay/West (WTC/Goldman)

"Like everything we do, we'll continue to assess whether this is the right route or might benefit from improvement," Boxcar said.

This route will only be available in the mornings on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The summer will provide an excellent opportunity for the company to fine-tune downtown drop-offs and timing, as well as determine whether any major changes are required before the fall commuting surge, Joe Colangelo, CEO of Boxcar, said.

If everything goes well, they will add more times, evening service, and offer this along other routes in New Jersey after Labor Day.

"Every time that Boxcar adds a new bus and fills it up, we know that roughly 2/3rds of those riders are ditching their cars to ride Boxcar. While that is only 35 fewer cars off the road, it's 35 cars that are otherwise stuck in idling traffic many days a week. 35 cars clogging our major arteries, filled with commuters that are aggravated and unproductive," Boxcar said.

The ticket price for this route will be $24.99 at face value and $16.73 for members.

Pickup at Chatham will be located at the train station, on the Main Street side, near the pedestrian tunnel.

Amenities for Boxcar passengers include free Wi-Fi, restrooms, air conditioning and power outlets at each seat.