NYC Commuters Get Another Option

One thing that Route 27 offers that many New Jersey suburbs don't is mass transit. For years, Suburban Transit, owned by U.K.-based Stagecoach Group, was the only option for commuters heading to New York. Now it has some competition. In May 2016, Ourbus started service from Kendall Park/Franklin Park to the city. 

Route 27: At least it has access to mass transit.

Twice a Day

The disadvantage to Ourbus? It only has two departure times in the morning, the same for the return trip in the evening. Suburban Transit runs twice an hour for most of the day and even more often during rush hours. The Ourbus route, though, is an express. There are no local stops in North Brunswick and New Brunswick.

The Ourbus route begins at Kendall Park Roller Skating Rink at 6:30 and 7:00 each morning then goes to Green Hill Manor apartment complex, Stillwell Road, and Kendall Park Post Office before heading to New York. Once in the city, it makes stops at Times Square, Bryant Park, and Grand Central. In the evening, service departs from Grand Central at 5:10 and 5:55.

Ourbus is now offering service to and from the city...

...which means competition for Suburban Transit.

Another advantage is the cost. The fare is $9.25 each way, making it $18.50 for a round trip. That compares with Suburban Transit's round trip fare of $25.44. Suburban Transit's monthly pass at $410 equates to about $9.32 per trip for the month of October if you used it for five round-trips per week (at 22 working days in the month).

Note: Thanks to my husband for noticing the Ourbus driving up Route 27 today.

Online Tickets

With Ourbus, you buy your tickets online, and of course, they have an app for your smartphone. So you skip waiting in line at a bus station to buy tickets. Ourbus also had had service from Montgomery and Rocky Hill service, but that was discontinued as of Oct. 2.

Franklin Towne Sharing Center?

Following up on my post from Oct. 10, perhaps the space that was occupied by Stein Mart, can now be used as a shared-office space, a la WeWork buying the flagship Lord & Taylor store in New York from Hudson's Bay Co.Click for press release. That would be one way to repurpose traditional retail space into a millennial sharing economy enterprise.

Riya Plaza Update

Les Delices Bakery at Riya Plaza is progressing toward opening. It now has help wanted signs up for bakers and sales staff.

New Nail and Spa Time, also in Riya Plaza, looks close to opening.

"This Stretch of 27" covers business on Route 27 between Finnegan's Lane and Route 518. What's your story? Email me at lkiesche@gmail.com

Liz Kiesche
Liz, a business journalist, formerly worked for Bloomberg News in Princeton and New York.