MARLBORO — A new shuttle bus may help ease parking and traffic problems around the Matawan and Aberdeen area, and provide Bayshore residents with a direct path to Freehold.
The Marlboro Township Council voted July 17 to authorize an interlocal services agreement with Monmouth County, allowing for a six-month pilot commuter shuttle bus program to run from Aug. 18 through Feb. 17.
"This is something new for all of us," said Henry R. Nicholson, director of the Monmouth County Division of Transportation. "We’re trying to get cars off Route 9."
In the program’s first year, NJ Transit will provide $30,000 and the one bus needed to cover the route. Marlboro and the county will each provide $30,000.
The bus service is not limited to Marlboro residents.
The shuttle bus will transport 25 people, Nicholson said. There will be 15 commuter parking spots in a lot on Route 79 south in Marlboro, he said.
The bus will travel to the Aberdeen-Matawan train station and to Freehold Transportation Center on Main Street in Freehold.
Each ride will cost $2, with all money going back into the service, Nicholson said.
Aberdeen officials were aware of the bus service, Mayor David Sobel said.
"We knew this is something that was going to be worked on for many months," he said.
The township is trying to relieve its commuter parking problems, mostly at bus stops near Route 34.
With the large number of commuters using the Aberdeen-Matawan train station, the new bus service may not make a noticeable difference in the parking problems near the train station, Sobel said, but it’s a start.
"It’s a step in the right direction," he said. "It’s temporary in nature. I just wish the state of New Jersey would find a permanent solution to this regional problem."
Bus and train transportation to New York City and other places attracts people to Aberdeen and its surrounding towns, so solving the parking problem is important, he said.
"We’ll do everything we can to balance the needs of our residents with the needs of our region," Sobel said.
Matawan recently presented a proposal to NJ Transit for its own shuttle buses, Matawan Mayor Robert Clifton said.
"We’d like to get one or two [buses] ourselves, and have maybe our own shuttle run through Matawan," he said.
The shuttle bus could help ease the high volume of borough traffic during rush hour, he said.
"If we were able to take some cars off the road, it would be terrific," he said.
Towns other than Marlboro also will have the opportunity to take advantage of the program, Nicholson said.
The number of bus riders is not significant, but if the project works out, word of mouth will spread and other surrounding towns will take part, Clifton said.
The spots in Marlboro would open some parking space at the Aberdeen-Matawan train station, but the borough needs to work with NJ Transit to provide more spaces, he said.
The program will also provide transportation for residents of the Bayshore area who have no direct way of getting to the county seat, Nicholson said.
"There is no way to get from the Bayshore area to Freehold, unless you were going from the Bayshore area to Red Bank to Freehold," he said.
Morning bus rides are scheduled for 5:30 to 9:10 a.m. Evening rides will be from 4:05 to 8:45 p.m.
— Josh Davidson and Larry Ramer