Academy commuters vent over bus issues
Riders complain that full buses pass by and no options are available
BY ERIN O. STATTEL
Correspondent

The commuters are restless and unhappy. Last week they let someone know that.

State Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth and Mercer) held a forum on Aug. 1 at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters, Manalapan, in order to give commuters a chance to question representatives from Academy Bus LLC, which provides service to Wall Street, New York City, on the Route 9 corridor through Ocean, Monmouth and Middlesex counties.

New Jersey Transit does not provide Route 9 service to Wall Street, which gives commuters the following option: use Academy or find a different way to lower Manhattan.

"After having heard from more than 50 constituents regarding Academy's lackluster service, I knew something must be done to address this matter," Beck said.

The assemblywoman said people at the meeting were primarily residents of Freehold Township, Manalapan, Millstone Township, Marlboro and Old Bridge.

"We are paying for a service," said John Castronovo, a New York City commuter who attended the forum. "Unfortunately, I really can't call this a service."

Commuters assembled at the library to lodge their complaints against the bus company and demanded answers from the firm's representatives. Among the complaints were claims of unreliable service and the lack of a structured schedule being adhered to by the company, overcrowding on buses, poor bus conditions and driver safety, as well as Academy's lack of proper customer service and availability.

"All complaints are always investigated," Academy Vice President Thomas Scullin said in response to allegations that the company's customer service representatives ignore customer complaints.

Academy Bus is currently under contract with New Jersey Transit to provide Wall Street bus service via Route 9. But when the commuters peppered Scullin with questions of who holds Academy accountable, he simply replied that the commuters do.

Scullin was met with shouts opposing this view and one commuter said that if Scullin worked for him, he would be fired.

Scullin explained that since Academy is a private company, commuters could walk away if they wanted to and the company would lose money.

Commuters angrily replied that in the places where the problems are occurring, there are very few alternative modes of

transportation into New York City.

"I have avoided taking Academy buses for the last 15 years," said former commuter Steve McEnery of Manalapan. "After 25 years Academy is still not doing anything to alleviate these problems. I haven't heard anything new here tonight except for the complaint of drivers talking on their cell phones and that's only a new one because cell phones didn't exist 25 years ago!"

McEnery said the Academy commuter service was better when the firm had the competition of New Jersey Transit buses on the Route 9 commuter route.

Judy LaRocca, a commuter from Manalapan, said she has even considered moving because of the commuter problem with Academy.

"It is very frustrating," LaRocca said, "and what's most disrespectful is the fact that they are so nonresponsive. I have never seen anything like it."

"It just seems to be a lack of common sense," said Castronovo. "You can't remove buses from a crowded commuter route and expect people to keep paying if there is no bus there to pick them up."

As a result of these complaints and Beck's status as a member of the Assembly Transportation Committee, Beck unveiled a package of bills addressing commuters' rights.

"Academy has no choice but to improve their service," Beck said. "I will hold their feet to the fire on this deplorable issue and in the fall we will come back and examine the issue again."

Beck said one thing that makes commuters irate is the fact that if they arrive at a Route 9 bus stop at 6 a.m. to catch a scheduled 6:05 a.m. bus, if that bus is full when it gets to the stop it keeps going, with no second bus coming directly behind to pick up the riders who were expecting to get on.

Beck said the same thing might happen with the next scheduled bus to pass that stop (i.e. the 6:15 a.m.) - a full bus would go past commuters who had already been waiting for the 6:05 a.m., along with the people who had arrived to take the 6:15 a.m. bus.

Scullin apologized on behalf of the company and promised to look into all of the problems brought to his attention at the forum.

"Some of these problems are just the nature of the routes," Scullin said. "I'll make the adjustments and hopefully in September things will be different."

Many of the commuters were dissatisfied with Scullin's answers and told the representatives that they could not afford to arrive late at their jobs. However, many of the commuters at the forum also suggested solutions to some of the problems.

Bill Hausheer, of Millstone Township and a New York City commuter, proposed that the company pass out late slips when the buses arrive at their destinations in New York City behind schedule.

"When I would ride the NJ Transit trains they would pass out slips for people who were late getting to their jobs because of the delays," Hausheer explained. "But for now I guess I am lucky because my boss is also riding Academy."

Beck said the problem stretches into Old Bridge, which is one of the most heavily used Route 9 commuter stops because there is a large park and ride facility about a half-mile north of Route 34 and because it is the last stop before the buses enter the Garden State Parkway. She said commuters at the Old Bridge park and ride can wait for a long time to get onto an Academy bus because so many of the buses are full when they reach that stop.