City Will Offer Shuttle Service This Summer

Long Branch visitors will have a new way of getting around the city this summer.

The Long Branch Council approved a resolution during its Tuesday night meeting that will allow shuttle service to and from the Long Branch Train Station on Third Avenue.

Long Branch Director of Community & Economic Development Jacob Jones said the city received a federal grant from the Meadowlands Transportation Brokerage Corporation, which is doing business as Meadowlink, for the shuttles.

The city will match a portion of the approximately $70,000 grant through the Urban Enterprise Zone Program, which has allocated $25,000 for the service.

Jones said the shuttle service will be called Shore EZride and will feature rides from from the train station to the beach and business district from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

He said the shuttles will cost $1 per ride, and that the route will travel through Bath Avenue, Brighton Avenue, Broadway, Ocean Avenue and Ocean Boulevard. The exact route has not yet been determined, but Jones said the shuttle could travel to all the major destinations in Long Branch on these streets.

Jones said the shuttle will run Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., in half hour intervals. 

He said the shuttle's first year will be "experimental," and that things could change.

"We will see how many people use it and adjust our route and schedule as needed," Jones said.

Jones said he is excited about the potential of the shuttle program and said it could be beneficial for the city.

"The purpose is to have people park their cars in commuter lots and take the jitney to the beach for less traffic congestion," Jones said.