Public Input Sought to Improve Bergen County's Bus System

The public can weigh in Wednesday on a new study that explores how to make bus service faster, more reliable and more convenient in Bergen County.

An open house session on the Bergen County Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) implementation study will be held at Bergen Community College in Paramus between 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

According to a news release, the BRT "is a prime option for making buses more reliable, faster, and more convenient ...With very limited opportunities to expand the capacity of our highways and the need to serve new destinations, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a customer focused, innovative, and effective way to create new mobility options."

The study has found commuting patterns have changed for Bergen County residents. Approximately 60 percent of residents work within the county, though most transit systems are oriented to traveling into the city. The existing bus structure, according to study team members, is often slow and unreliable.

Potential improvements include real time schedule information to be accessible by smartphone; improved stations; revised routes to eliminate some stops; low-floor buses with ADA accessibility; better fare collection systems with smartphone tickets; and roadway improvements to give buses priority in traffic.

The improvements could be implemented in phases and will strengthen economic development in the state's largest county, according to study documents.  

The public can speak to study team members – a joint effort by Bergen County's Department of Planning and Economic Development and NJ Transit – and view study data from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. and from 8 to 8:30 p.m. A presentation will be held from 7:15 to 8:00 p.m. at Conference Room D in the Moses Center, located at 400 Paramus Road in Paramus. 

Check out the BRT website here for more information. Residents are also encouraged to take a brief survey. A PDF of a study presentation is attached to the right of this article.

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