DeCamp Bus Strike Impacts Commuters In A Variety Of Ways

When asked about the DeCamp bus strike, Montclair commuter Joe Emanuelli said it's had little effect on his travel experience, although he admitted his evening commute now takes five to 10 minutes longer that it did before the strike commenced a week ago.

Emanuelli has taken the express bus out of New Jersey Transit's Allwood Park and Ride facility in Clifton to work for the past year.

"More people are taking the buses, especially in the evening prime time between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.," he said. "I've not noticed any real increase in the AM traffic, but I leave before 7 a.m."

But Robin Hoffman, a Montclair marketing consultant, said the strike has affected her.

"[My husband] goes into the city quite a bit. We can walk to a DeCamp stop but we don't have a parking permit for the train station and can't walk to one," she said. "So he's been driving in more, and it costs to park so this is more expensive.

"If he takes the train, I have to drop him off and pick him up ... and with working and the kids being home this week, this has not been an option," she said.

In its seventh day, the DeCamp bus strike has impacted different people in many different ways.

Some say they actually prefer NJ Transit to the DeCamp bus service — even if it can be more expensive. From Upper Montclair, a one-way DeCamp ride to New York City costs $6.25; a similar ride on a NJ Transit train costs $6.75. Others complain about parking at NJ Transit lots and argue that their commutes are longer.

Penny Bassett Hackett, a spokeswoman for NJ Transit, said certainly there is higher ridership, especially on Route 3 buses.

"And when it comes to rail service, there has been an increase of about 150 additional passengers a day on individual trains" such as the Midtown Direct out of Montclair, she said. "We are monitoring the situation."

She said that a single train generally has the capacity to transport more than 1,000 people at a time and that — before the strike — there were typically 600 to 700 people on any given train.

Since the strike began "we have seen more than 1,000 on one train ... we are watching this closely," she said.

Montclair commuter Pat O'Neil said that it was "standing room only" on his early morning train.

"It seems to be getting more and more crowded every day," he said. "It's becoming harder to find a seat."

On Wednesday, striking DeCamp union employees — who are seeking to resolve wage and benefit issues — said they were shocked at the lack of progress being made at the negotiating table.

As a result, the strike may not be resolved for many more days. Calls to the DeCamp office were not returned on Wednesday.

As always, NJ Transit is urging customers to travel during off-peak times and to buy tickets in advance.

In order to obtain a 20 percent discount, a monthly ticket can be purchased.

For more information on how to cope with the strike, go here.

As the state's public transportation corporation, NJ Transit operates a fleet of 2,027 buses, 711 trains, and 45 light rail vehicles. On 236 bus routes and 11 rail lines statewide, the agency provides nearly 223 million passenger trips each year.

Meanwhile, another Montclair commuter Sarah Frahm called the strike "a pain in the butt."

"I'm just thankful [my husband] can drive me to the train," she said. "It's a rough thing to go to New York every freaking day as it is."

Even so, there's little grumbling within the Frahm household because "they have a right to [go on strike] and we have to find a way to live with it. That's what unions are for and that's what our country is all about."