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DeFazio’s office, along with agents from the state Motor Vehicle Commission, has conducted surprise inspections of the stealthy rigs just outside the Lincoln Tunnel in Weehawken for years. Now, Stack (who is also a state senator) is calling the practice discriminatory law enforcement.
Stack says the minis are essential for those who need them to get to work, and that NJ Transit — which he says gets a pass during the inspections — could make the point moot by providing more bus services.
DeFazio countered that a vast majority of the jitneys fail the spot inspections. And although he agreed that they are critical to mass transit in such a highly congested area, he vowed the safety inspections would continue.
Jerry DeMarco Publisher/Editor
For its part, NJ Transit has expressed concern over the minis that try to outrace its buses to stops.
According to Kevininjc, in a post to nj.com: “For several months, the only way to go directly from” Palisade Avenue in Jersey City to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan at one point were the jitney buses. “The quality of repair was very questionable,” he wrote.
“I always wondered if the drivers had licenses and if there was any insurance. Also, the habit they have of slowing down to 5 mph to troll for customers became aggravating. Shortly after I started using them, one jitney I was on was stopped outside the Lincoln Tunnel, violations were found the PA officers moved us to incoming NJT buses. After that I got a monthly pass and found alternatives on NJT buses…”
“These jitney buses are a menace,” added nyquill012. “Driving behind one on Rt. 3 can be a harrowing affair; and the way they drive on the helix going into the Lincoln Tunnel is absolutely terrifying. These companies need more oversight and inspections before someone gets killed.”
A poster known simply as shuber countered that the jitneys “are quicker, come more frequent, give change, cause less traffic and pollution. I see NJ transit buses with few passengers on huge [buses] creating noise, smoke and blocking traffic. I remember when [the jitneys] first appeared, I heard the same stories of being unsafe. Just step up inspections and if true, that problem would be diminished.”
Given Stack’s juice, a pow-wow with NJT officials appears certain.
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