Hop On or Off on Any Corner; City Expands Shuttle Bus Service

The city is expanding the service of the cross town shuttle "the Hop"—formally known as the crosstown bus—by adding two new lines, and is calling it a "mini-transit system."

The Hop system has three overlapping routes: the Blue Hop (downtown), the Green Hop (uptown, west side) and the Red Hop (uptown, east side). According to a release sent out by city spokesman Juan Melli, the three buses stop within a 3-minute walk of 99 percent of Hoboken's residents.

The shuttle was given the name "the Hop," because riders can hop on or off on any corner after notifying the driver. 

"It's been a long time in coming," said Director of Transportation and Parking Ian Sacs. "We've set up routes designed to srve all corners of our community and provite equitable transportation for all residents."

A ride on the Hop is $1, $.50 for students and free for seniors and children under 12. Soon, monthly ride passes for $35 and yearly unlimited ride passes for $300 will be available. (You can only pay a single ride with exact fare.)

In an interview with Patch in March, Sacs said that at that time, roughly 100 people a day used the service. He said also that he expected that the program would be self-sustainable by September. 

In a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon, Sacs said those projections would not be met in September, but that the added routes will increase ridership. 

Sacs said also that the senior shuttle bus will now alse be used as a Hop. This double usage of the vehicle, Sacs said, will save the city $30,000 a year. 

Sacs, in that same March interview, said first re-introduced the idea of the cross town bus, it attracted less than 20 riders a day. And although the fare is only $1, it actually costs about $3 per rider to maintain the route, Sacs said. 

Drivers have to keep track of hourly passengers. Although Sacs said he saw a red hop that was full of people during rush hour, he had not yet asked for the hourly figures he said. 

"I don't expect the bus to be full all the time," Sacs said, "but it's very promising." 

Sacs said he hopes that many Hobokenites will choose to take the shuttle bus around town, rather than getting in their cars. 

All routes stop at the PATH station and loop twice per hour on weekdays, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.  

The Blue Hop is out of service daily between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm, the Red Hop is out of service between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m,, and the Green Hop is out of service between 3 and 4 p.m. Residents can find route maps, schedules, and learn more about The Hop on the city's web site, or by calling 201-653-1919.