EZ Ride now offers a new Online Bike Safety presentation with videos and a follow-up poster contest and worksheet in English, Spanish, Hindi and Arabic languages, which is available for free for all students.  More than 16,000 students have taken advantage of these presentations. To review the presentation click here. We have made changes to our current safety presentations and added safety tips regarding Covid-19 to ensure the importance of social distancing is highlighted.

EZ Ride also has created a new Library of more than 150 curated Bike and Pedestrian resources that include videos, activities, and information for students, parents, and adults who want to promote biking,  walking,  and traffic safety. Click here to check out the resources available.

During this summer season more people are out walking and biking in their neighborhoods. EZ Ride’s top priority is to ensure they are doing so in the safest and healthiest way.

We are pleased that more than 100 schools and municipalities served by EZ Ride were recognized by the New Jersey Department of Transportation for their Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program and included 51 Gold, 20 Silver, 18 Bronze, and 27 First Step Awardees. These winners are recognized for their commitment and support of the Safe Routes to School program by enabling and encouraging children to walk and bike to school. For a list of all current NJ SRTS winners, click here.

The Safe Routes to School program recognizes awardees for their hard work and commitment to the program, and recognition is valid for three years. Schools and municipalities that have earned NJ SRTS recognition and are also enrolled in the Sustainable Jersey certification program can earn points. Click here for more information.

To learn more about how to qualify for the NJ SRTS Recognition Program and get a head start on applying for recognition next year, please contact:

Lisa Lee

201-939-4242 Ext 123

[email protected]

New Jersey Transit will lift the 50 percent capacity limits on its trains, buses and light rails, as the COVID-19 pandemic slows down in the state and the New York City metro area, and more people begin commuting to work. That also applies to private-carrier buses, trains and light rail vehicles, and Access Link vehicles.

“As we have undertaken our restart and recovery, and as more New Jerseyans begin getting back to their jobs, we are seeing increases in ridership which are beginning to approach 50 percent of the stated maximum capacity of these vehicles, and we want to ensure that people are able to get to their jobs and that the system continues operating as efficiently as possible,” the governor said at his COVID-19 press conference May 6th at the Trenton War Memorial.

Staff and passengers will still have to wear face coverings, Governor Murphy said. Although trains and buses will not automatically jump past the 50 percent cap in most cases, “we anticipate at least at rush hour that will be a reality,” the governor suggested.

Masks need to be worn at any indoor stations, as well as outdoor stations where social distancing “is not practicable,” Murphy added.

We are ready and prepared to re-launch our shuttle services and the health and safety of our riders is our priority. We have created a brief video showing the safety precautions being taken by us (link to the video here).

To ensure your safety, we require that all riders wear a face covering when boarding our shuttles and practice social distancing rules by limiting one passenger per row.

Several of our shuttles have already begun their operations. Please visit our shuttle schedules page to check if your service is up and running.

If your company is ready to resume operations, please contact:

Kinga Skora 201-939-4242 Ext.131 or [email protected]

As New Jersey starts re-opening for business, we are ready and prepared to re-launch our shuttle services with the health and safety of our riders as our first priority. EZ Ride is amenable to modifying the route, including providing direct service into New York City. Please keep us posted about your shuttle needs ahead of time, as we would need at least a week to start the service.

As informed earlier, we are taking the following steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

Please note all riders are required to have a face covering to use our shuttle service.

Some additional measures being implemented in our facility that will add to the overall safety environment for our drivers are as follows:

Be well, and stay safe. We look forward to serving you.

For more information about our safety measures, please contact Avnish Gupta at (201)939-4242×118 or email [email protected].

August 7, 2020

Starting in the month of May 2020, EZ Ride, in conjunction with The Alliance for a Healthier Asbury Park, is using their New Jersey Health Initiatives (NJHI) grant to assist all Asbury Park residents in getting to doctor’s appointments and going for food shopping. As of this writing, subject to availability of funds, this free service will be provided until December 31, 2020.

The Ryde4Life program by EZ Ride uses the transportation services offered by Lyft and Uber and was designed to serve older adults to address their transportation challenges. Since last three years this program has been providing limited number of free rides to the seniors in Asbury Park.  However, due to the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic, it was expanded to serve all Asbury Park residents aged 18 and over to get to their doctor’s appointments or to go food shopping up to a distance of 15-miles.

The rides are available Monday – Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM based on the availability of Lyft and Uber vehicles. Riders must request the ride at least 24 hours in advance and need a working cell phone to connect them with the driver. At the time and day of their appointment, the resident is required to call again to activate their ride.

Doug Schultz, the Director of Social Services in Asbury Park, had several clients who needed to get to a specific clinic just outside the mile limit and reached out to EZ Ride to see if they could help. Because the need for the residents is so great at this time, EZ Ride worked with him and will continue to do so going forward.

“I would like to thank EZ-Ride for their willingness to accommodate our residents with transportation to medical facilities beyond the 15-mile limit to include two Substance Abuse treatment facilities. We are grateful and hope that we will be able to make use of this service during these challenging times,” said Doug Schultz.

EZ Ride hopes to provide trips to as many Asbury Park residents as possible, helping to keep them safe and healthy during these difficult and uncertain times. The expanded program was launched on May 4th, and we are pleased that it is helping many residents of Asbury Park.

For more information, please see the program flyer

January is the time to make plans and set goals for the coming year. Many people make resolutions to get more exercise and eat healthier foods, and these are two healthy practices.

Our Bike & Pedestrian Team works with more than 200 communities during the year to promote walking and biking. This year the team decided to talk about idling, the impact on kids, and the importance of reducing the amount of idling that happens around schools at drop off and pick up. Idling is when the engine in a vehicle is running, but the vehicle is not moving. An idling car produces 20 times more pollution than a car driving 30 mph and kids breathe 50% more air pollution per pound of body weight than adults and are more severely affected because their lungs are still growing. The #1 chronic disease for kids is asthma, and idling and vehicle emissions make asthma worse.

According to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, “excessive idling causes an unnecessary release of air contaminants into the air in NJ, including fine particulates and air toxins. Every year, hundreds of New Jerseyans die prematurely from exposure to diesel exhaust and fine particle pollution and may cause more deaths in NJ than homicides and car crashes combined”. As a result, NJ law prohibits idling for more than three minutes, and drivers face a $250 fine for the first offense, $500 for a second offense and $1,000 for the third and subsequent violations. The exceptions are for vehicles in traffic, emergency vehicles providing service, and busses discharging or picking up passengers (15-minute idling limit).

For more information, visit:

www.StopTheSoot.org.

Complaints about idling vehicles can be made to the DEP’s 24-hour toll-free hotline at:

1-877-WARN DEP

(1-877-927-6337)

Since October 25, American Dream opening day, many people have been wondering about parking and transportation options.  Parking at American Dream for less than 30 minutes is free, but after that fees start at $3 for up to three hours and go up from there. Parking for over 8 hours or all day is $24. But if MetLife Stadium is hosting an event, such as a concert or a Giants or Jets game, parking will automatically cost $30.  While many visitors expect to drive, others may want to use public transit options.

NJ TRANSIT has implemented the following bus service:

To utilize Bus No. 356 express bus service from Secaucus Junction customers may travel on any rail line that serves Secaucus Junction or any of the five NJ TRANST bus routes that serve Secaucus Junction and transfer to Route No. 356 express bus for direct service to American Dream. They are:

Local bus routes which have expanded their operating hours and include stops at American Dream include:

For more information about bus and train schedules, please contact:

Michael Jensen

(201) 939-4242 ext. 139

[email protected]

Geraldine and her husband William, have been married for 59 years. Originally from Brooklyn, they moved to Staten Island to raise their family. They moved to New Jersey to be closer to their son and his family. Geraldine and William have five beautiful grandchildren. She enjoys her relationships with them because they always keep her laughing.

Living in New Jersey does not come without challenges. Things got much more comfortable when they joined the Ryde4Life program about a year ago. When William fell ill, it became difficult to get him to his doctor’s appointments.

Geraldine exclaimed, “Thank goodness Ryde4Life is around to get us back and forth when there is not any other option!” Now, they can enjoy spontaneous shopping trips. Geraldine stated that the drivers are all amiable and helpful. She spreads the word about Ryde4Life whenever she can.

For more infromation about Ryde4Life program, please call:

(866) 208-1307, Option 4

www.Ryde4Life.org

Governor Phil Murphy recently signed a bill into law requiring New Jersey employers with at least 20 employees to offer a pre-tax transportation fringe benefit to employees (who are not currently in a collective bargaining agreement) beginning March 1, 2020.

The Federal Government allows employees to set aside $265 per month of pre-tax wages, which can be used for your mass transit commuting costs and parking while reducing your federal taxable income. That means you could save up to $900/year by not paying federal income tax on that salary. If you need to pay for parking to make your transit connection, the parking fees can be funded with pre-tax dollars up to an additional $265 per month.

To take advantage of these tax savings, your employer needs to opt-in to either the NJ TRANSIT Bulk Sales program or one of the programs offered by a third-party provider, like TransitChek by WageWorks. In addition to these programs, payroll service companies like ADP, offer a transit pre-tax benefit option. A common name for the benefit is “commuter tax benefit.”

Commuter tax benefits can be structured as an employee-funded tax-free payroll deduction, as an employer-funded benefit, or employer and employee can share the costs. The benefit can be delivered in the form of transit provider-specific passes or universally accepted vouchers and debit cards.

To help you through the process and provide the information, please contact:

NJ TRANSIT Bulk Sales Program

(973) 491-7288.