If the new Lakewood Shuttle buses on local roads grabbed your attention, you are not alone.
Full size, modern transit buses of this sort are rarely found in the fleets of municipal transportation systems outside major cities. Yet, three of these gleaming buses have been in active service in Lakewood since March. An additional five buses have been ordered and are scheduled to be ready for service within the coming year. Township officials are working on preparing orders for several additional buses as well.
The Lakewood Shuttle bus service is just under a decade old and has progressed into a robust transportation service with multiple routes — on track to transport over 140,000 riders a year in 2025. There has been a particularly marked increase in ridership since the new buses went into service, with monthly ridership on the Lakewood Shuttle system having increased by over 50% compared to previous months. The new buses are not only nicer and more comfortable than their predecessors; they also boast nearly triple the ridership capacity.
These buses have been acquired via Lakewood Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) funds, in which the sales tax revenue of local UEZ businesses — which charge only half the regular sales tax rate — gets directly invested into local projects that stimulate the Lakewood economy and benefit the public.
The new Lakewood shuttle buses have each been custom designed and custom built to best meet the needs of its diverse ridership. The kneeling buses with dual doorways; and several folding seats, are particularly accommodating towards both wheelchairs and baby carriages. Other special touches include tri-lingual signage — in English, Yiddish and Spanish.
Lakewood Township Committeeman Meir Lichtenstein; Rabbi Avrohom Moshe Muller, Chairman of the Lakewood Development Corporation (LDC), which administers the UEZ Program; Phil Roux, Director of Lakewood Department of Public Works (DPW); Andrew Gardner, Regional Manager of Gillig bus manufacturer; and Lipa Klein, Lakewood Township Transportation Liaison and Project Manager; were among the officials to take special live tours with the buses on Lakewood’s roads.
The officials marveled at the comfort and accommodations that the new buses offer and heard enthusiastic feedback from riders. Additional advances and custom touches are being considered for the upcoming bus orders.
“Thanks to the persistent collaborative work of both government officials and community leaders, Lakewood’s transportation system has reached a truly high caliber,” says Committeeman Meir Lichtenstein. “We look forward to continue advancing the system, and adding new routes in the northern, eastern and western portions of Lakewood once additional buses are ready for service.”
“The LDC and UEZ are honored to have secured these beautiful buses to meet the transportation needs of our fast-growing population,” says Rabbi Avrohom Moshe Muller. “This is precisely the type of investment that the UEZ program is designed for: It helps Lakewood residents get to work and shopping destinations quickly and economically, while reducing congestion on the roads.”
“The feedback that we continue hearing from riders is amazing,” says Lipa Klein. “I would like to thank Lakewood Township; the LDC; and Gillig; for working together to make these buses a reality. We look forward to continue working on all fronts and rolling out additional improvements to the Lakewood Shuttle experience in the months and years ahead.”
Lakewood_shuttle_updated_Bus_Routes_May_2023
How much of my money was spent on this boondoggle?
None…. Actually you got money back from the state b/c UEZ funds “recapture” your sales tax that went to the state’s “General Fund” and the UEZ law gives a portion of that “lost” money back to the Lakewood UEZ to be used for projects that benefit the economic development of the town.. Now you get it right! :o)
Someone gave away a bus? Happy to hear it came from the state the state gets the money from?
The cost of the Driver, insurance, upkeep, pension, health insurance, will all be paid by Lakewood taxes.
Where can we find the schedule and route?
It was added into the article.
The towns web site does not have all the routes or times
Idk saw the bus at 2pm outside Walmart in howel with someone getting off don’t see Walmart on any of the routes
Free?
I never saw this bus. Please tell me the route and scheduled hours and cost of each ride. I live in Westgate and don’t drive.
Thank you
Tisku L’Mitzvohs
It was added into the article.
Do you have a map and stop times of the current routes? Future routes? Is there an email address to request further stops and locations for those that aren’t served yet, or to comment on the service etc? What is the cost for these busses to the township? What is the income? Is there online tracking to see where the busses are like njtransit and school busses? Is there a phone number to call in?
please can you give all information
maybe there is a link to this information, if so please show in the article.
Can we get a schudle and bus route.
It was added into the article.
Are there any stops on River Avenue Southbound? Say, from Prospect to Chestnut?
Thanks
When is the town putting the shuttle schedules on the town’s web site so more people can use the shuttles?
can the bus schedule be posted by each stop so there is more awareness of its route and time? Thank you
It was added into the article.
After all these years and still no bus service in Pines Acres Estates (south of Rt70).
TLS Commenter Mourns the Loss of a Beloved Comment
A TLS commenter is mourning the loss of a comment that lost its life to censorship on Monday.
“It’s tough to lose a comment that you’ve known for close to sixty minutes,” said the distraught commenter, who spoke to reporters on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.
“This particular comment and I shared a common bond,” the commenter noted, “and we seemed to express the same ridiculous feelings and asinine sentiments.”
“This may sound crazy to YOU,” the commenter said, “but the comment – may it’s soul rest in peace – had this uncanny psychic ability to express a particular thought that seemed to take its words right out of my mouth.”
“What can I say,” the commenter lamented, “it’s not easy to witness a close comment of mine lose its life to the ravages of censorship and to the minefields of website approval.”
“I’ve got this eerie feeling that this particular comment knew it was putting its life on the line when it submitted its thoughts into text on that fateful day,” the commenter said. “However, that’s the kind of comment this comment was; it never concerned itself with the consequences of internet censorship, because, ultimately, its main focus was on the actual thought and sentiment it was expressing, and not on how the comment appeared in physical form online.”
“Make no mistake,” the commenter asserted, “the comment was well aware that censorship possessed the power and the wherewithal to obliterate its physical manifestation – but not its core essence, specifically its spiritual, unseeable and invisible form.”
“I’ll miss that beloved comment of mine,” the commenter concluded in a rather somber tone, “and I’ll miss all the millions of comments who’ve sacrificed their physical manifestations on the alter of internet censorship in order to create a more noble, senseless and asinine world!”
Need to follow nyc
Where are the bus stop shelters
Bus stop shelters need to have the schedules and routes posted on them
I wish there would be a tracking system to know where the bus is
Will there be a curtain to separate the men from the women?
yes after you put a curtain over your car blocking you…
It should be called the Rockwell/Harmony bus.
No wonder our taxes keep going up. I wonder what percentage of Lakewood benefits from this.
this is long overdue, the whole “town” has been growing and growing with many opting out of driving with spending over half an hour finding a parking spot that 50% of the time will get the car scratched up, so they are choosing walking without enough space onn the sidewalks and without bridges to cross over with all the strollers, so this is really the right thing at, well the right time already began with the construction at Rt 70 and at Prospect, this is still the right time for this.
They did not “choose walking” because there was not enough parking, etc. These buses were made for the population who don’t drive in the first place. These people knew before they came to Lakewood, that Lakewood is a suburban area, and most people have to drive to get to where they want. They knew that there was hardly any public transportation. Then, when they got to Lakewood, they created a position called “Lakewood Transportation Liaison and Project Manager” and got Lakewood to use UEZ funds to accommodate their way of life. I suppose it had to happen since so many people walking on the side of busy roads with strollers was not sustainable. But before their arrival, there was only a minimal customer base for the shuttles.
Stop the Hate/racisim, there are many communities in Lakewood and all are welcome to have their needs met.
BTW do all the boys hitching to Yeshiva etc. or girls getting their parents to pick them up not need this?
How about the BMG guys that cannot afford 2 cars, can they not benefit from this???
Each of the riders are paying a fortune in property Texas what are they getting in return nothing a big fat zero no Parks for the kids
So they get some lousy transportation
Even this you can’t tolerate??
A bus up and down county line would be much appreciated also central/Cedarbridge from Westgate or isle 9 Jackson till marcy plaza or continue it to industrial park it can make stops by Avenue of the states, cookie corner, and seasons
There is a shuttle that goes from Ridge until Forest
e-mail public works to get the schedule, it’s not posted on the town’s web site.
Is this is truly public transportation why don’t the buses run on Saturday?
Too many people don’t take the bus on Saturday. No customers!
This should be advertised to the Spanish community that do a lot of shopping sat..
Many shuttles don’t run on Sunday either
Checked out the schedules. Are the East bound and west bound schedules labeled correctly?
How much do they cost? Free?
They never tell us. It used to be free, but then they began charging $1. We would also like to know about monthly passes
There should be a route to all the Oak St wedding halls during evening hours
Please be patient. The biggest hurdle when setting up a transportation system is obtaining financing for the buses and operating costs. Give them time to work out the details like bus stops, routes, timing, etc.
Lakewood’s now ahead of Mamdani in NYC. Free bussing for all.