South Jersey commuters want more reliable public transit, Rutgers researchers say

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More than 300 residents across South Jersey responded to a survey and focus groups conducted by Rutgers University researchers trying to better understand how public transportation could be improved in the region.

Results from the study conducted last year were recently released.

Riders told researchers that they wanted more transit stops for both the bus and the train lines with greater frequency.

“A lot of what we heard from folks was not about creating something new but leveraging what was already existing and potentially expanding those services,” said Kristin Curtis, associate director of research at the Rutgers University Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs. “It is our hope that the policymakers will see this as the voice of the community.”

About one-third of riders surveyed expressed a need for expanded train and bus service between 6:00 a.m. and 9 a.m., while about one-quarter of respondents called for more late night routes.

Some industrial park workers reported being stranded for at least an hour after getting off a night shift because the buses don’t start running until 7 a.m., one respondent said.

Participants also asked for more connecting routes between PATCO, NJTransit buses and the River Line, especially for commuters who live in New Jersey and work in Philadelphia.

“We heard from folks who sometimes take the bus to the Walter Rand Transportation Center but then they have to wait a little bit because the PATCO is not quite lined up before they head over into the city [of Philadelphia],” Curtis said.

Riders asked for the underground concourse between PATCO and the SEPTA Broad Street Line in Philadelphia to reopen as an indoor pedestrian corridor. Some also wanted PATCO to extend all the way to 30th Street Station so they wouldn’t have to get on SEPTA to catch an Amtrak train.

Bicycle riders asked for more storage on buses and trains since they often need to bike to reach their final destination because the public transit network is limited.

“Cyclists said they would ride two or three miles from their homes to one of the PATCO stations then take that over into Philly and they bicycle just a little bit more to their office building,” she said.

Some riders asked for the ability to pay for public transport on smartphones or a mobile app, as opposed to carrying exact change.

And riders recommended flat-rate or round-trip bus tickets rather than Camden’s bus zone system, where passengers have purchased the wrong ticket and were asked to pay more to reach their destination.

There are several investments already happening for public transit in South Jersey. The Glassboro-Camden Line is expected to open by early 2028 which would include stops at Rowan University, Cooper University Health Care and Campbell’s Soup Company.

Walter Rand Transportation Center is undergoing a $250 million renovation project that’s still in the design phase.

And there are plans for a 34-mile long pedestrian and bicycle train from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Camden City to Winslow Township in Camden County; this project is still in the public meeting phase.

Since July 2023, the Camden Loop, an on-demand shuttle bus with flat-rate tickets, has operated in the city between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. each day. About 47% of respondents wanted to see an expansion of the loop’s coverage area.