Never has the old adage of “necessity is the mother of invention” been as true as when Terri Lalka found herself in the middle of Journal Square trying to get to Manhattan.
She decided there had to be a better way to commute than the existing transit systems. So after her job was downsized due to the economy, she decided she would take the initiative and create a commuter service herself.
On Oct. 2 – after almost a year of working out the details and getting the schedules set up – she held a grand opening of her office at Ninth Street and Broadway in Bayonne, hoping to help make it easier for other commuters to reach Manhattan.
“Since all the major subways cross Canal Street in Manhattan, we drop people off at stations along Canal Street.” – Terri Lalka
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The service picks up commuters from Bayonne, as well as three locations in Jersey City: Port Liberte, Society Hill, and Drover’s Point.
“Since all the major subways cross Canal Street in Manhattan, we drop people off at stations along Canal Street,” she said.
Although the company just unveiled its offices, she said she has been operating since September 2008, trying to build a solid client base.
Lalka lives in Boat Works in Bayonne and used to use that development’s shuttle to access the light rail. She then would transfer to the PATH train into Manhattan, and then to the appropriate subway.
While still employed as a sales director in Manhattan, she often thought how many connections she needed to make to get to her job. It wasn’t until she was downsized that she realized people needed a more direct connection. She was on her way to an interview in New York and took a bus, which broke down at Journal Square.
Forty minutes or less
The service gets people into Manhattan from Bayonne in 40 minutes or less, and takes less time from other locations using the HOV lanes through the Holland Tunnel. In Bayonne, people are picked up at their homes – part of a prearranged schedule. At other locations, people go to pickup points. For people who buy a monthly pass, this amounts to about $5 per trip. They can also buy a 20 trip pass at $6 per trip.
“People are guaranteed a seat,” she said. “We cater to professionals. We have no rowdy students. All our vans have heat and air conditioning.”
Drivers have CDL licenses and the vans are fully insured, she said.
For more information, call (201) 339-2381.