By Katie Wagner, Staff Writer
A new “jitney” commuter shuttle service will be launched Monday under the operation of the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association, the Borough Council has announced.
A ceremonial jitney ride will be offered to borough officials and guests at 9:30 a.m. at the Dinky train station on University Place.
Actual service will begin at 5:30 p.m. with schedules to be posted around the borough.
The mayor and Borough Council awarded Greater Mercer TMA a contract Tuesday to provide administrative oversight and operation of the jitney services that is not to exceed $94,293.
Greater Mercer TMA, which also manages Princeton University’s shuttle system, will be subcontracting with A-1 Limousine, who will provide the actual shuttle bus, Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi said.
The jitney bus service, to be directly coordinated with the Dinky train schedule and the newly modified university shuttle routes along Nassau Street, will be free to all riders and will run Monday through Friday during peak commuting hours from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The route will begin at Borough Hall for the morning commute and at the Dinky station in the evening, running in a circular, clockwise 20-minute loop along Bayard Lane, Paul Robeson-Wiggins-Hamilton streets, Harrison Street, Nassau Street, Mercer Street, Alexander Street, and University Place. Riders can board the jitney at permanent stops — such as the Suzanne Patterson Senior Center and the Princeton Public Library — or flag down the bus at any point.
The university has committed to funding the service until a grant from NJ Transit grant kicks in. The NJ Transit grant will be in the form of a three-year declining subsidy, with $30,000 for the first year of operation, $20,000 for the second, and $10,000 for the third. The grant — which will fund the purchase of a 22-passenger jitney bus and three years of service during peak morning and evening commuter hours — stipulates that the bus must provide a transportation link to the Dinky station.
