PRINCETON: Borough reports FreeB shuttle now gets 500 rides a month

By Lauren Otis, Staff Writer
   Princeton Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi said monthly ridership of the FreeB shuttle was up to nearly 500 for September at the Borough Council meeting Wednesday night.
   ”There is certainly room for improvement. I think we are continuing to improve,” Mr. Bruschi said.
   At the meeting, council adopted a resolution authorizing the implementation of an agreement with NJ Transit where the borough will receive a shuttle vehicle and $60,000 over three years for the FreeB shuttle program. The vehicle currently in use is being provided by A-1 Limousine.
   According to a Nov. 7 memo from Mr. Bruschi to council members released at the meeting, September ridership of the FreeB totaled 480 passenger trips, an average of about 23 a day for the weekday shuttle. Passenger trips for July and August were slightly above 400, and were 300 for June.
   ”For me this was always a means to an end,” Mr. Bruschi said. He said once the borough obtained the vehicle from NJ Transit, and the $60,000 subsidy for operating the basic FreeB route to and from the Dinky station during the morning and evening rush hour, then more creative uses for the shuttle could be explored.
   ”We have to do a lot better,” on ridership, said Councilman David Goldfarb. Mr. Goldfarb acknowledged that obtaining a vehicle from NJ Transit was a first step, and said he was willing to accept the three-year period of subsidized operation as a starting point for making the shuttle viable, but would not support the FreeB thereafter without significant ridership growth.
   If the borough expands the FreeB’s hours and route, to places like the Princeton Shopping Center, “we would provide a huge service and grow our ridership significantly,” said Councilwoman Barbara Trelstad.
   Under the NJ Transit grant, the borough will receive reimbursement for 50 percent of its operating expenses for the FreeB, up to $30,000 for the first year, $20,000 for the second and $10,000 for the third.
   At its meeting Borough Council also heard the monthly police report from Police Lt. Sharon Papp and several council members noted that motor vehicle summonses in general, and driving while under the influence incidents specifically, appeared to be down significantly in Princeton Borough in 2008.
   Ms. Papp said a possible cause for the reduced numbers was a reduction in enforcement due to reduced police staff rather than improved motorist behavior.
   According to the police report, a total of 4,246 motor vehicle summonses have been issued this year through the end of September, while 4,434 were issued for the same period in 2007. In 2008, so far there have been 97 DWI incidents through September, down from 140 last year.
   ”As far as DWI we have been doing selective enforcement,” Lt. Papp said. The reduction in total motor vehicle summonses could be tied to the fact that there is only one borough officer assigned to the traffic unit at present, Lt. Papp said. She said the community policing unit, of which the traffic enforcement unit forms a part, once contained five officers.
   Three borough police officers were suspended with pay in February following an internal affairs investigation. In September the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office announced the indictment of one, Sgt. Kenneth Riley. No charges were filed against another, Sgt. Kevin Creegan, and his case has been referred back to the borough. The prosecutor’s office hasn’t made a decision in the case of the third, Patrolman William Perez.