NJ Transit bus garages

New Jersey Transit was created by the Public Transportation Act of 1979 to “acquire, operate and contract for transportation service in the public interest.” In 1980, it purchased Transport of New Jersey, at that time the state’s largest private bus company, including its bus maintenance and storage facilities;[1] it has subsequently acquired numerous other previously privately-owned or corporate carriers.

NJ Transit Bus Operations is organised into three operating divisions: Northern, Central, and Southern. Each division has bus depots to house and maintain its bus fleet. As of 2024 NJ Transit had over 2800 buses and eighteen garages across the state.[2] In addition to directly operated routes, NJ Transit also provides buses to carriers providing service on NJ Transit routes under contract, as well as private carriers operating their own routes. Most maintain their own garages.

NJ Transit introduced compressed natural gas (CNG) buses in 1999.[3] and hybrid electric buses in 2007.[4] As of the 2020s, NJ Transit is making the transition from diesel buses to battery electric buses as part of its zero-emission strategy.[5] In order to accommodate the new fleet some garages will be closed, others retrofitted, and new ones built.[6][7]

Bus garages

Northern Division

Fairview Garage

Name	Location	Notes
Fairview	419 Anderson Avenue, Fairview 40.820332°N 73.992184°W / 40.820332; -73.992184	Houses many of buses on routes 100–199 in the Hudson Waterfront communities along the Palisade Avenue, Bergenline Avenue, Boulevard East, and River Road corridors to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Market Street	16 Market Street, Paterson 40.914344°N 74.177939°W / 40.914344; -74.177939	Built in 1903 as a trolley barn for Jersey City, Hoboken and Paterson Street Railway, later Public Service Railway.[8] Now part of the Great Falls Historic District, underwent renovation in 2021–2023.[9][10] Operates local routes in Passaic, Bergen, and Essex (many originating at Broadway Bus Terminal) and commuter routes to GWB Plaza/GWB Bus Terminal.
Meadowlands	2600 Penhorn Avenue, Secaucus/North Bergen 40.779441°N 74.043757°W / 40.779441; -74.043757	Operates 32 bus routes in Hudson County.[11] It is located adjacent to the North Bergen P+R under the Lincoln Tunnel Approach, with service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal on bus route 320. Built in 1993, it slated for expansion and retrofitting to handle longer articulated buses and electric buses. Initial construction of an outdoor charging facility with a canopy and pantographs will provide charging equipment for 67 buses by 2028 but will include the infrastructure to expand the site to accommodate 130 buses.[12][13][14][12]
Oradell	455 New Milford Avenue, Oradell	Opened in 1962. Flooded in 2021 as a result of Hurricane Ida.[15]
Wayne	55 West Belt Parkway, Wayne 40.900118°N 74.247751°W / 40.900118; -74.247751	Built in 1998 and upgraded in 2000,[16] located at the intersection of New Jersey Route 23, U.S. Route 46, and Interstate 80 near Wayne Route 23 Transit Center and Willowbrook Mall, major park and ride/bus stations for the region.
Westwood	180 Old Hook Road, Westwood	NJ Transit leased, and subsequently purchased in 2022, the former Rockland Coaches facility to alleviate overcrowding at Oradell Garage.[17] Will house reassigned diesel buses as other facilities are retrofitting for electric buses.[18]

In addition, NJT owns three lots to store buses on layover going into Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Future garages

Former depot on Bergenline Avenue replaced by Meadowlands Garage and Facility in 1993

Name	Location	Notes
Northern Bus Garage	Adjacent to U.S. Route 46 and the New Jersey Turnpike in Ridgefield Park 40.844197°N 74.016°W / 40.844197; -74.016	Sited on more than 50 acres (20 ha) and equipped to handle 500 buses, the newly constructed facility will replace Oradell and Fairview garages and is scheduled to be completed in 2029.[19][20][21][19][22][23]
Union City Bus Garage	Bergenline Avenue at 27-29th streets in Union City 40.770067°N 74.030079°W / 40.770067; -74.030079	After demolition of existing facility, once the trolley barn for the North Hudson County Railway, the newly constructed garage will accommodate 40 articulated, emission-free buses.[24][25][26][27][28][29][30]

Central Division

Greenville Bus Garage

MCI D4000 hybrid leaving Ironbound Garage

Name	Location	Notes
Big Tree	1 Washington Avenue, Nutley 40°48′25″N 74°8′52″W	Opened in 1989. Located on New Jersey Route 7, it operates local routes in Newark and adjacent towns.
Greenville	53 Old Bergen Road, Jersey City 40°41′38″N 74°5′43″W	Originally a part of the Northern Division. Opened in 1998 on the site of the former Greenville garage, It largely handles routes in southern Hudson County below Journal Square.
Hilton	1450 Springfield Avenue, Maplewood 40.723794°N 74.250879°W / 40.723794; -74.250879	Located near Irvington Bus Terminal. Site head on collision between bus and garbage truck, in which bus driver died, in 2018.[31] Adaption to handle battery-operated electric emission-free buses expected to be completed in 2025. First deployment will be on GO25 Irvington-Newark line.[32][18][33]
Howell	1251 U.S. 9, Howell 40.196814°N 74.248664°W / 40.196814; -74.248664	Built in 1985. Houses most of NJT's compressed natural gas (CNG) fleet (147 as of 2024) [2] and operates many routes along the Route 9 corridor.[34][35][36]
Ironbound	677 Wilson Ave, Newark 40.715436°N 74.132159°W / 40.715436; -74.132159	Ironbound Garage and the adjacent Kearny Point Garage are just north the Newark Airport Interchange and south U.S. Route 1/9 Truck and Raymond Boulevard, the latter of which provides access to Newark Penn Station.
Kearny Point	442 Avenue P, Newark 40.715436°N 74.132159°W / 40.715436; -74.132159	Kearny Point Garage and adjacent Ironbound Garage are west the Kearny Point Reach of the Passaic River. Kearny Point was disused factory converted to NJT garage when Coach USA's ONE Bus stopped operations and opened in August 2024.
Morris	34 Richboynton Road, Dover 40°53′23″N 74°34′1″W	Was the facility of PABCO Transit (Passaic-Athenia Bus Company) until 2010 when the company became NJ Transit subsidiary.
Orange	420 Washington Street, Orange	New garage opened in 1989. Operates local routes in Greater Newark.

Southern Division

Newton Avenue Garage in the 1960s

Name	Address	Notes
Egg Harbor Township	1431 Doughty Road, Egg Harbor Township	Operates local and long-distance routes with and to points in the Greater Atlantic City and Southern Shore Region.
Hamilton Township/Neptune	600 Sloan Avenue, Hamilton Township40°15′19″N 74°42′14″W 830 Old Corlies Avenue, Neptune City	Built in 1998, it is adjacent to NJT's Hamilton rail station. NJT Mercer took over the Monmouth County local routes on October 1, 2023, after Transdev ceased operating them.
Newton Avenue	350 Newton Avenue, Camden	Once part of Public Service Coordinated Transport. The facility became home and recharging station for NJT's first eight battery-operated buses in 2022.[37][38][39]
Washington Township	6000 East Black Horse Pike, Turnersville

Contracted bus garages

Name	Address	Notes
Academy Bus Lines	various	Operates many of NJ Transit bus 700 local routes in Bergen/Passaic as well New York service from Central Jersey.
Broadway IBOA	1329 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Bayonne
Community Coach	160 Route 17 North, Paramus
Lakeland Bus Lines	425 East Blackwell Street, Dover
Olympia Trails	349 1st Street, Elizabeth
Salem County Community Transit	88 Industrial Park Road, Pennsville	Operates the 468
Suburban Transit	750 Somerset Street, New Brunswick	Operates the 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 810, 811, 813, 814, 815, 817, 818, 819, 822
Trans-Bridge Lines	2012 Industrial Drive, Bethlehem	Operates the 890, 891

Former garages

NJ Transit operated

Name	Address	Notes
Atlantic City/Wildwood		Replaced by Egg Harbor Township.
Elizabeth		Replaced by Ironbound.
Madison Avenue		Replaced by Wayne.
Matawan		Replaced by Howell.
Mercer Metro		Replaced by Hamilton.
Union City		New Jersey Transit will receive a $44.67 million grant to demolish the old garage and rebuild.[40]
Warwick

Contracted operated

Name	Address	Notes
A&C Bus Corporation	430 Danforth Avenue, Jersey City	Shut down on October 28, 2023, with their routes taken over by NJ Transit.[41][42]
Asbury Park-New York Transit
Bergen Avenue IBOA	1081 Broadway, Bayonne	Shutdown in 2011 with route taken over by A&C Bus Corporation.[43]
Blue & Grey Transit
Carefree Bus Lines
Central Avenue IBOA	297 Communipaw Avenue Jersey City
DeCamp Bus Lines	101 Greenwood Avenue, Montclair	Ended on April 10, 2023, with their routes operating to NJT.[44][45]
Downtown Bus Company	1 Oxford Avenue Jersey City
Evergreen Equipment
Hudson Bus Company
Hudson Transit Lines
Independent Bus
Lafayette And Greenville	119 Merrit Street and 44 State Street both Jersey City
Leisure Line
Lion Bus Corporation of New Jersey
North Boulevard Transportation Company/Red And Tan in Hudson County	437 Tonnele Avenue Jersey City 349 1st Street, Elizabeth	Bought out by Coach USA in 2002. Moved to Olympia Trails garage in 2006. Brand discontinued in 2012.[46]
Orange Newark Elizabeth Bus	349 1st Street, Elizabeth	Discontinued on October 8, 2023[47][48] with all routes going to NJ Transit.[45]
Rockland Coaches	180 Old Hook Road, Westwood	Operations moved to Suburban Transit garage. Property bought by NJT in September 2022 to alleviate overcrowding at Oradell Garage.
Saddle River Tours	480 Main Ave, Wallington 30 Moonachie Ave, Carlstadt
South Boulevard Bus Owners Association/Drogin	53 Kennedy Boulevard Bayonne
South Orange Avenue IBOA		Bought out by Coach USA in 2002.
Transdev	830 Old Corlies Avenue, Neptune City
Washington Street IBOA
West Hunterdon Transit

References

1. New Jersey Transit: ADA Lift Reliability and Maintenance Review (PDF) (Report). U.S. Department of Transportation. March 7, 2014.
2. New Jersey Transit Facts at a Glance (July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024) (PDF) (Report). New Jersey Transit. November 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
3. Johnson, Tom (July 20, 205). "New Jersey Transit's Newest Commuter Coaches Will Be Cleaner and Greener". NJ Spotlight News.
4. "NJ TRANSIT". NJ TRANSIT.
5. https://www.njtransit.com/zero-emission-buses
6. https://content.njtransit.com/sites/default/files/njtplans/Bus%20Garages%20-%20Project%20Sheets.pdf
7. Johnson, Tom (June 19, 2020). "NJ Transit Misses the Mark by Committing Just $15M to Electric Buses Through 2026, Critics Say". NJ Spotlight News.
8. "Trolley barn to be commenced". The Morning Call. June 5, 1902. Retrieved January 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "NJ TRANSIT". NJ TRANSIT.
10. "NJ TRANSIT". NJ TRANSIT.
11. "NJ Transit to receive nearly $100M to upgrade Meadowlands Bus Garage". ROI-NJ. July 10, 2024.
12. "N.J. Transit Gets $99M Federal Award for Cleaner Buses". GovTech. July 9, 2024.
13. Higgs, Larry (July 9, 2024). "N.J. gets millions to help put more electric buses on the street". nj.
14. Wilson, Colleen (July 10, 2024). "Does NJ Transit have electric buses? Yes, and this $100M grant will advance it". North Jersey Media Group.
15. "NJ Transit bus garage under water". North Jersey Media Group. September 2, 2021.
16. Wilson, Colleen (August 7, 2020). "NJ Transit's Wayne bus garage to receive $14.6M federal grant for renovation and repairs". North Jersey Media Group.
17. "North Jersey Media Group Subscription Offers, Specials, and Discounts".
18. "NJ TRANSIT". NJ TRANSIT.
19. Wilson, Colleen (December 19, 2023). "NJ Transit bought 53 acres in North Jersey for a huge bus garage. Where do things stand?". North Jersey Media Group.
20. "NJ TRANSIT". NJ TRANSIT.
21. "NJ TRANSIT Northern Bus Garage Project".
22. "NJ TRANSIT". NJ TRANSIT.
23. "NJ Transit Northern Bus Garage Planning and Community Impact Evaluation".
24. "NJ TRANSIT". NJ TRANSIT.
25. "NJ Transit selects HDR to design new Union City Bus Garage and Terminal for BEBs". tam-america.com. August 12, 2024.
26. Abu-Khaled, Eman (July 25, 2024). "NJ Transit Board approves order of 36 additional Multilevel III cars, design contract for Union City Bus Garage and Terminal". Mass Transit.
27. "NJ Transit Awarded $44.6 Million For New Bus Garage". www.ucnj.com. September 29, 2022.
28. Reporter, Hudson (October 4, 2022). "Union City will retain part of former bus garage property".
29. Higgs, Larry (August 16, 2022). "NJ Transit gets $44M to build new bus terminal, garage for electric buses". nj.
30. "Union City Garage Demolition". DMR Construction.
31. Smith, Fred (February 21, 2018). "Five Injured When NJ Transit Bus and Garbage Truck Collide in Maplewood on Tuesday". TAPinto.
32. "New Jersey Transit, Battery Electric Bus Garage Modernization". Burns Engineering.
33. Report, Mass Transit Staff (March 15, 2022). "NJ Transit awards contract for design and modernization of Hilton Garage". Mass Transit.
34. Johnson, Tom (March 11, 2016). "NJ Transit Inks $10 Million Deal for Firm to Service Its Growing Fleet of CNG Buses". NJ Spotlight News.
35. "NJ Legislature". New Jersey Legislature.
36. "NJ Transit Gets More Than $75M for Bus Upgrades". NBC New York. July 23, 2012.
37. "NJ TRANSIT". NJ TRANSIT.
38. May, Tiana (October 6, 2022). "NJ TRANSIT Unveils Its First Battery Electric Bus". Bus-News.
39. "NJ Transit's First Zero-Emission Bus Hits the Road In Camden". TAPinto. October 4, 2022.
40. Higgs, Larry (August 16, 2022). "NJ Transit gets $44M to build new bus terminal, garage for electric buses". nj.
41. Sussman, Spencer (July 25, 2023). "End of the line: Nearly century-old Jersey City bus company shutting down". nj.
42. Sussman, Spencer (July 27, 2023). "Jersey City bus company to close on Halloween, giving officials 3 months to find new option for riders". nj.
43. Thorbourne, Ken (March 16, 2011). "Buses back on the road as A & C Bus Company takes over Bergen Avenue Bus route". nj.
44. Sloan, Christine (April 7, 2023). "DeCamp Bus Lines ends New Jersey-to-New York City shuttle service that started in 1870s - CBS New York". www.cbsnews.com.
45. "NJ TRANSIT". NJ TRANSIT.
46. Journal, The Jersey (October 17, 2011). "NJ Transit and A&C Bus to pick up discontinued Red & Tan bus routes". nj.
47. "COACH USA TO DISCONTINUE ONE BUS SERVICE | Coach USA". www.coachusa.com.
48. Strunsky, Steve; Higgs, Larry (September 8, 2023). "With fewer customers and rising costs, Coach USA will end 3 N.J. commuter bus routes". nj.