Interim funding agreement reached for Borough jitney

“The University was pleased to be able to assist the Borough in getting this initiative off the ground,” University Director of Community and Regional Affairs Kristin Appelget said.

Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi said that the program will cost around $60,000 per year, which will be paid for in full by the University until the end of the year, when a New Jersey Transit grant will be able to pay for the program.

In coordination with the Dinky’s schedule, the jitney will run during peak commuter hours — 5:30 to 9:30 in both the morning and evening. Free to all, the jitney will run from the Dinky Station to Borough Hall, the Princeton Public Library, Hamilton Avenue, the Princeton Senior Resource Center and other stops on Nassau Street. Though there will be fixed stops, people can also signal for the jitney to pull aside anywhere along its route.

“If we have significant ridership, we can look to expand the service to daytime hours,” Bruschi said. The idea for a jitney has been in the works since at least 2004, when the Borough asked New Jersey Transit for a grant to buy a 22-person bus and fund a jitney service for three years, according to a statement issued by the Borough.

“I am excited to launch this important transportation link in the Borough,” Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman said in the statement, “and I thank Princeton University for assisting us with making this launch possible at this time.”

Bruschi added that the shuttle will allow the Borough to measure the proportion of Dinky riders who are Princeton residents not affiliated with the University.

He explained that though the University’s decision to fund the shuttle service and the debate about the location of the train are “two separate decisions,” the popularity of the shuttle would provide both parties with information for future negotiations.

As the University begins to expand, it expects that the jitney will mesh with an expanded campus shuttle system to provide improved transportation for both University members and community members.

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“[The jitney] will be an enhancement to the campus shuttle system,” Appelget said, adding that people can transfer from system to system during rush hour.

The University is also currently developing a proposal for a new provider for a campus shuttle system, Appelget said. Plans include having an onsite manager who will keep the campus shuttle system running efficiently in the case of inclement weather or traffic and modifying some routes so that transfers can be made to the jitney.

The decision to fund the jitney comes on the heels of a meeting of the Regional Planning Board of Princeton, at which the University presented a review of the campus shuttle system.

“[University administrators] have heard no complaints, and the Borough has heard no complaints” about the shuttle system, Appelget said. “Ridership continues to increase, and the best indication that a system is functioning well is an increasing ridership.”