Lakewood Shuttle: Funded, Expanded, and Still Unclear

Update: The  township committee will vote tonight Jan 15, at the meering  to approve the shuttle bus liason project for $300k.

In addition they're adding another position due to emergency traffic situations  at the cost of $25,000 for a "Neighborhood Navigator"acting as the Shuttle Busing Liaison, responsible for coordinating shuttle operations and communicating service updates, closures, to Communicate real-time information about route changes, service interruptions, weather-related closures, and emergencies, to the public to support traffic flow and public safety. 

These positions were not bid out for the public.

Lakewood officials held a meeting yesterday to approve $300,000 for the Lakewood shuttle bus liaison project. The meeting lasted all but three minutes, with no discussion or explanation of how the funds would be used. LDC board members approved the resolution, and the meeting was immediately adjourned.

Ask most Lakewood residents what they observe about the Lakewood shuttle buses, and the likely response is that they see mostly empty buses driving around, with little public awareness of routes or schedules. In fact, the schedule posted on the township website dates back to May 2023 and is only available as a PDF download. There is no phone number listed for the liaison, nor is there an automated information line for riders.

Despite this lack of accessible information, officials claim the shuttle’s annual ridership is approximately 140,000 passengers. In an article published a few weeks ago, officials told TVOL that this figure was calculated using a formula rather than actual passenger counts.

According to that explanation, the 140,000 estimate is based on an average of roughly 540 passengers per full operating day, excluding days and partial days when buses do not run. That figure breaks down to about 68 passengers per route per day.

A significant portion of the shuttle service is concentrated in the Chasidish developments in South Lakewood, transporting residents to CHEMED and nearby shopping centers, as many women in the community do not drive. Other routes serve day laborers traveling to the industrial park. Recently, the township purchased five buses at a cost of $3 million, with plans to further expand the system.

Meanwhile, many Lakewood residents remain underserved. Yeshiva bochurim are frequently seen hitchhiking, Youngeleit carpooling to yeshiva and senior housing developments despite a growing population of residents who cannot drive are not served by the shuttle.

As officials promote Lakewood as the fourth-largest city in New Jersey, the current shuttle system continues to operate like that of a small town: limited transparency, minimal public information, and service that appears selective rather than comprehensive.