Federally-funded program created by Congressman Pacrell
will take residents to and from train station, ease commute

CLIFTON - Standing in front of Clifton's new Jitney Community Shuttle Bus at City Hall, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-N.J., 8th) and Mayor James Anzaldi, joined by a representative from New Jersey Transit, announced today that the Borough will soon begin providing shuttle bus service to residents that will take them to and from the train station.

The innovative federally-funded program was made possible by legislation authored by Pascrell, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.  The program is administered by New Jersey Transit, and Clifton is one of 34 municipalities and 4 counties throughout New Jersey that were awarded a bus during the program's two rounds of awards.

"I have said repeatedly that our transportation system is not just about improving our highways and bridges, but about improving the quality of life in our communities, " Pascrell stated.  "This new shuttle bus is an example of that approach, as it will ease the commute for Clifton residents and get cars of the road."

"In New Jersey, we have no alternative but to expand the access to -- and use of -- mass transportation.  That is what this Community Shuttle Program is all about and I am ecstatic that it will soon benefit the residents of Clifton," Pascrell said.

"During these days of record ridership and limited parking on our bus and rail systems, programs such as Community Shuttle are vital to the success of public transportation in New Jersey," said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Jeffrey A. Warsh. "Our customers need and deserve alternate ways to reach Glen Ridge and other stations. Thanks to the work of Congressman Pascrell and partnerships with local communities -- this crucial project is making the commute easier for scores of NJ TRANSIT customers."

Pascrell worked to secure $3.5 million in federal funding in 1998 for the Community Shuttle Program through TEA-21, the federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century.  Soon after helping the Township of Maplewood secure new vehicles for its existing jitney service in 1998, he began the effort in Washington to include funding in TEA-21, the successor to ISTEA, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.

"I applaud New Jersey Transit for helping me change the very face of mass transit in our state through this initiative," Pascrell added.  "It complements our existing mass transit infrastructure and allows people easier access to a cleaner, safer and more efficient means of getting to and from work."

In addition to Clifton, fifteen Garden State municipalities and two county entities were awarded jitney busses in round one, and another eighteen municipalities and two counties in round two.  The communities all applied to the program through New Jersey Transit and were selected as part of a competitive process.

The other recipients include: Maplewood, South Orange (two vehicles), Glen Ridge Orange, Rutherford, Secaucus, Rahway, Edison, Hackensack, Marlboro, Metuchen, New Brunswick, North Plainfield, Old Bridge, Red Bank, Atlantic County Division of Intergenerational Services, Camden County Improvement Authority, West Orange, Montclair, Carlstadt, Fairlawn, Hoboken, North Arlington, Cranford, Edison, Fanwood/Scotch Plains, Fort Lee, Franklin Township, Hamilton, Middletown, Old Tappan, Red Bank, Roselle Park, Weehawken, Westfield, Burlington County(2), and Ocean County(2). 

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