Beep, beep — new buses and a new bus route might be on the way to Princeton.
A proposal for a new NJ Transit bus route was discussed at the Princeton Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Oct 8.
The proposed bus route, the Express, would run every 45 minutes — approximately 20 to 25 minutes each way — and have 12 stops. The route would run from the Dinky, stop multiple times along Nassau Street, and end at the apartment complexes by the Princeton Shopping Center. It will run Monday to Saturday, from 6:00am to 9:00pm, an hour earlier than the current route.
The current local route runs through 22 different stops on 80-minute frequencies, Monday to Saturday, from 7:30am to 9:00pm.
Both routes would run by Palmer Square, the Post Office, Spruce Circle, and the Princeton Shopping Center.
The main event of the meeting was a work session on municipal transit services presented by Telos Advisers representatives Matt Thomas and George Piper.
Telos Advisers is a strategic advice firm which helps with planning infrastructure transportation projects. The company was hired by the municipality at the Aug. 25 town council meeting to put together a transportation proposal following a transit study conducted by consulting firm Nelson\Nygaard earlier this year.
The data collected by Nelson\Nygaard found that residents were most concerned with connecting the Princeton Station at Dinky, the Downtown Quarter on Nassau Street, and the Princeton Shopping Center, according to Thomas and Piper.
Thomas told the council that the Nelson\Nygaard’s report found that an overwhelming number of public transit users desire “more connectivity, more transit routes between a few locations.”
This bus route, as described by Town Council Member Michelle Pirone Lambros, is “designed to serve multiple user groups, including residents of multifamily developments who seek access to Nassau Street and the Dinky,” as well as “employees, visitors, and other residents who utilize the Dinky for commuting purposes, expanding mobility within town without relying on a car.”
This initiative is set to continue the council’s goals in achieving a “more sustainable, less car-centric town,” according to Lambros.
Thomas explained that the collection of “non-taxpayer funding” for transit enhancement or sustainable transit projects creates opportunities for a pilot of this new bus route.
Funding for the project, initially reported to be over $2 million, has come from Princeton’s voluntary payment, Avalon Developer Agreement, Alice Developer Agreement, and parking revenues. $1 million, including $480,000 in a purchase order dedicated for new electric vehicle (EV) buses, has already been received, with a further $1.2 million expected.
Telos’ pilot of the new route would begin in January and run for 12 months to “assess demand.” The cost is expected to be around $400,000 and will include regular evaluations including ridership, cost per ride, and user surveys, as well as a former October evaluation.
A request for proposal for the pilot still needs to be approved by the council. Before the pilot officially launches, Telos is recommending that the Municipality enforce reliable departure timing, rebrand the Princeton Muni free bus service, update and increase signage, and update maps, schedules, and digital displays, according to Thomas.
Discussions around the new EV buses, expected to run on the new route, raised concerns among the council. Councilman David Cohen questioned the stability of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) grant amid recent difficulties in pursuit of EV buses.
According to Thomas, the municipality will purchase the EV buses, spending $480,000. If the purchase goes through, RGGI will reimburse approximately $380,000 of that. However, if the purchase does not go through, the RGGI grant will expire and the municipality will not be reimbursed.
Council President Mia Sacks responded with her own concerns about the stability of RGGI in light of the gubernatorial debate, as well as some confusion over the municipality’s choice to continue pursuit of the new buses.
“I thought we had basically given up on the EV buses, and that we were moving on from that,” Sacks said. “That was my sense — that was not going to be possible.”
She added, raising concerns about securing funding, “If we’re hedging our bets on a Reggie Grant, we do have a very close gubernatorial race with one candidate who just announced recently that he’s going to pull us out of RGGI on Day One.” Jack Ciattarelli said during Wednesday’s gubernatorial debate that he intended to exit the RGGI if elected next month.
A Telos representative said that they will continue to monitor the market, gauge whether a vendor is “capable of supplying the EV vehicle within our time commitment,” and whether it makes sense to have EV vehicles versus a gas-powered vehicle.
Lambros, in response to these concerns, said that the council has nothing to lose by keeping the bus order.
“We haven’t obligated anything. If they come, they’re delivered, and that’s important because when we do the RFP (Request for Proposal), we need to have some flexibility in that,” Lambros said. “But right now, we have nothing to lose by just keeping [the bus order] out there.”
According to Telos, these buses would arrive mid-next year, should the order go through.
The request for proposal for the new route is expected to be discussed at the next meeting.
Luke Grippo is an assistant News editor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from South Jersey, and typically covers University and town politics, on a national, regional, and local scale. He can be reached at lg5452[at]princeton.edu.
Christine Woods is a News and Archives contributor for the ‘Prince.’ She is from New York City and can be reached at cw0453@princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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