Carteret, NJ – Mayor Dan Reiman announced this week that Carteret has been selected through a competitive grant process to receive a new 30-passenger shuttle bus through the N.J. Transit F.T.A. Section 5310 grant program. The Borough submitted an application to N.J. Transit in 2006.
The “jitney” is valued at approximately $110,000, and will be provided with no local match.
It will be used for departments that implement public transportation, such as the Office on Aging, the Carteret Specials, and the Department of Recreation. Many of these provide services on a daily basis, burdening the Borough’s limited transportation resources.
Carteret offers daily transportation to senior residents who congregate at the town’s community center. The town also uses town buses for its Meals on Wheels program, coordinating with Middlesex County. The Borough’s Office for the Disabled has utilized town buses frequently for its many social and athletic events. More recently, the Department of Recreation has included transportation for some of its summer sports programs, and special events such as Carteret’s popular Independence Day celebration at Waterfront Park. Mayor Reiman has announced that future services will include a commuter shuttle to train stations in neighboring towns, as well as the town’s pending ferry terminal.
Prior to Carteret’s submission to the State, it entered into a contract with the Middlesex Department of Transportation, allowing the county to benefit from use of the jitney when not being utilized by the Borough. Shared services have become an integral part of State funded programs in maximizing the use of public resources, according to the Carteret Grants Department.
“There has been a notable increase in the number of programs we have that offer transportation,” Mayor Reiman has stated. “With that has come the wear and tear on our buses that can be expected. Fortunately N.J. Transit has recognized our needs through its Section 5310 grant program, and we will be able to continue offering and expanding our transportation services, while helping the county do the same. This bus represents the future of shared services and helps foster our goal of inter-modal transportation.”
“I am pleased that the Borough of Carteret has been chosen to receive a new shuttle bus through the New Jersey Transit F.T.A grant program,” said Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski. “A program like this will enable the Borough to meet the ever growing transportation needs of the community as well as provide assistance to disabled persons, senior citizens and others who may not be able to provide their own transportation to many of the town’s important social and recreational programs.”
