Long Branch Shuttle Service Begins This Weekend

The Long Branch EZ Ride Jitney Shuttle bus service kicked off Friday morning as county and local officials welcomed in the summer season in Pier Village.

This is the first year Long Branch will participate in the program, but Mayor Adam Schneider said it would not be the last when he addressed the crowd this morning.

Mayor Schneider said this year will be a trial run for the shuttles, but that he hopes to expand the route next summer.

"This is going to work phenomenally well," Mayor Schneider said. "These (parking spaces) are at a premium and our beaches are going to be mobbed."

Mayor Schneider said the shuttles will help ease traffic concerns for residents.

The shuttle will cost $1 per ride and will run every Friday to Sunday from today through Sept. 3 from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The shuttle's route will take riders from the Long Branch Train Station on Third Avenue to several areas around the city including West End, the North Bath Avenue Beach area, Beachfront North and Pier Village.

The service is made possible by a grant from the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) and is also being run in Asbury Park, Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach. The FTA is supplying 75 percent of the funds and the participating towns are paying the remaining 25 percent.

Monmouth County Freeholder Thomas Arnone, liaison to the county's Department of Economic Development and Department of Public Information and Tourism said he believes the shuttle service will increase tourism.

"The Shore EZ Ride Jitney will increase tourism in these four shore communities and help their businesses, which is something we all want to achieve," Arnone said. "It's time to enjoy our beaches and enjoy our jitney."

For a complete shuttle schedule click here.