def #12 01/28/09
OCEAN COUNTY SEEKS CONTINUED FEDERAL FUNDING FOR BUS; ROUTE HELPS BARRIER ISLAND RESIDENTS ACCESS MAINLAND
TOMS RIVER – Since it first began to make its way across the Route 37 bridges in 2001, the Toms River Connection
bus route has been a popular mode of transportation for residents living along the Route 35 barrier island.
Noting the ever increasing importance of providing public transportation at reasonable costs to residents seeking to get
to employment, doctors appointments, government facilities, retail sites and transit hubs, the Ocean County Board of
Chosen Freeholders is seeking to renew the federal grant that helps fund this bus route.
“We are again applying for a $850,000 federal grant under the Job Access and Reverse Commute Transportation program,”
said Freeholder Gerry P. Little, who serves as liaison to Ocean Ride, the county’s public transportation system. “We are
cautiously optimistic the grant application will be approved. This funding is imperative to keep this service operating.”
Under the grant requirements, Ocean County provides 50 percent or $425,000 in matching funds. This application covers two
years of operating funds.
Since the service began in 2001, more than 750,000 passenger trips have been provided. Loori Bus Company operates
the bus line under contract to the Board of Freeholders.
“This route continues to attract additional riders and provides an important service for many county residents who do not
have cars available to them,” Little said. “Annual ridership has almost tripled from the 46,000 trips in 2001 when we
launched the route.”
Last year, the Toms River Connection provided 129,109 passenger trips.
Little noted funding for the route is provided by a combination of federal and county funds.
“Our residents benefit from the cooperation we have received from many agencies in this endeavor,” said Freeholder
Director John C. Bartlett Jr.
Little noted that the service has helped residents access jobs, whether on the mainland or in the coastal communities,
in addition to medical care and a host of other services.
The Toms River Connection originates on Route 35 south in Lavallette. It continues along Route 35 through the Ortley
Beach section of Toms River Township and Seaside Heights before making its way cross the Route 37 bridge and west on
Route 37. Stops in Toms River include the Ocean County Government Complex, Hooper Avenue, here, Community Medical Center,
Route 37, the Ocean County Mall on Hooper Avenue and Wal-Mart, B.J.’s Wholesale Warehouse and the Toms River Business
Park on Route 37.
A round-trip, which includes all four zones, costs $2.80. There are also reduced fares for senior citizens and residents
with disabilities. The fare has remained the same since 2001 while NJ Transit fares increased in 2005.
“We mirrored NJ Transit’s fare structure when first establishing this route,” Little said. “However we continued to keep
the fare at the same level even though NJ Transit raised rider fees in 2005.”
A NJ Transit survey on the State’s JARC funded services, revealed that 31 percent of riders use the bus to go
shopping while a nearly equal amount or 30 percent used the bus to get to work. Riders were also asked to rate the
service in which 90 percent stated that the service was either “better than acceptable” or acceptable.
