Long Branch Will Now Offer Year-Round Shuttle Service

A year-round shuttle service will now be available for Long Branch residents and visitors.

The Long Branch Council approved a resolution during its Tuesday night council meeting finalizing an agreement between the city and Meadowlink that will allow the service to begin.

The shuttle service will begin on May 15 and run from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday through Saturday.

The shuttle service will take people from the Long Branch train station and Monmouth University to various locations in the city.

The total cost to bring the shuttle service to the city is $49,500, however 75 percent of the operational cost will be covered by a federal grant approved for Meadowlink. The remaining cost will be paid by the city.

Each jitney can accomodate 20 passengers and will be equipped with a wheelchair lift for handicapped riders. It will cost $1 to ride the shuttle, but Monmouth University or Brookdale students can ride it for free with a vaild student ID.

The shuttle will make the following stops:

• Long Branch Train Station

• Brookdale Community College (Broadway campus)

• Pier Village (Laird Street)

• Ocean Boulevard and West End Avenue

• Brighton Avenue and Second Avenue

• Cedar & Beeches (Cedar Avenue bed and breakfast)

• Monmouth University (Health Center)

The exact schedule can be found on page 70 of the PDF here.

The shuttle will not run on the following holidays:

• New Year's Day

• Memorial Day

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Thanksgiving

• Christmas

The city will also be running a summer shuttle service again this year after a successful first season.

The shuttle's route takes riders from the Long Branch Train Station on Third Avenue to several areas around the city including West End, the North Bath Avenue Beach area, Beachfront North and Pier Village.

The shuttle costs $1 per ride and will run every Friday to Sunday from Memorial Day to Labor Day from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.