Charles and his wife Rose Marie are both members of Ryde4Life. They do everything together – cooking meals, attending club meetings, and going on vacation. And they always use Ryde4Life for their local travel needs.
Charles is a former professional driver, but says driving in the area today is “too crazy.” He decided to stop driving and began using taxis before joining the Ryde4Life program. Today, he uses Ryde4Life for all his trips, including visits to the doctor, shopping, or going out to dinner with his wife. He prefers Ryde4Life to taxi service as it makes him feel like he has his personal car service.
Charles says that all the drivers are super helpful, and sometimes he even gets the same driver. He has told some of his friends about the service and says that Ryde4Life is the best alternative to having your car.
For additional information or to sign up for the program, call:
(866) 208-1307, Option 4
or visit
www.Ryde4Life.org
EZ Ride’s Bike and Pedestrian Safety Team was out in force for National Night Out on Tuesday August 6, 2019, to promote cyclist, pedestrian and driver safety in three different communities: Elizabeth, Linden, and Long Branch.
National Night Out is celebrated on the first Tuesday in August. It is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer and more caring places to live. Millions of people take part in National Night Out across thousands of communities from all fifty states, US territories, and military bases worldwide. Neighborhoods host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts, and various other community events with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, exhibits, and more.
In all three cities, EZ Ride team members set up a table with pedestrian and cyclist safety information. It included Street Smart NJ tip cards, handouts on helmet fitting in Spanish and English, bicycle and pedestrian safety coloring books, brochures about buying a youth bike, safe walking and bicycling pamphlets in English and Spanish, Stop for Pedestrians Warning Flyers, and Walking “prescriptions.” And we provided 150 free bike helmets to young children as well as 30 sets of bicycle lights.
In Linden, there was a great deal of interest from parents about helmet fitting and bike safety. We will be partnering with the Linden Police to kick-off a Street Smart NJ campaign on September 23.
In Long Branch, we partnered with the Monmouth Medical Center community health educators to provide helmets and promote healthier living. EZ Ride is a recipient of a NJ Healthy Communities grant for Long Branch. As a result, we were able to offer jump ropes, healthier recipes, and health information to encourage physical activity and healthy eating.
In Elizabeth, we partnered with the City, the Police, and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) to hold a Street Smart NJ Campaign Kickoff event with the media. The Mayor, City Council members, and representatives from the NJTPA and the NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety addressed the attendees. Union County Freeholder, NJTPA Chairman, and EZ Ride trustee Angel Estrada commended the city on their efforts to improve pedestrian safety. “The more we educate people about safe driving and walking, the safer we can make our roads for everyone, he said. “Together, we can make a difference. Remember to Drive Smart, Walk Smart, and Be Street Smart.”
All three events provided EZ Ride an excellent opportunity to promote safe walking and biking in the community.
For more information about our bicycle and pedestrian programs and services, please contact:
Lisa Lee
(201) 939-4242 ext. 123
As a mission-driven non-profit organization, EZ Ride is dedicated to lowering the transportation barrier and improving the quality of life for for commuters, lower-income residents, older adults, and riders with disabilities in New Jersey.
From carpools to vanpools, to shuttles, to transportation for older and riders with disabilities, EZ Ride tries to fill the gap when other options fall short. For some people, the transportation services may not be attainable because of cost. EZ Ride strives to ensure these services are available to everyone in the community regardless of income.
Our goals for this year’s annual campaign are to:
- Raise awareness and $200,000 in funds for EZ Ride’s financial assistance program
- Enable the participation of 1,000 older adults in our Ryde4life transportation program
- Help to provide more than 15,000 subsidized rides for lower-income older adults
We have partnered with Lyft and Uber to launch Ryde4Life, a program to provide reliable transportation on demand. The program is very popular with older adults because no reservation is required and riding in a sedan is far more comfortable than a minibus. However, the cost of the ride continues to pose a financial burden for most of our riders who live on a fixed income and cannot always afford the trip.
Please join us today in helping advance our cause for affordable transportation. For a better you. For a better community. Give for a better us.
Contributions can be made by sending a check, credit card or paypal and are fully tax-deductible.
For more information about our campaign and how to make a donation, please contact:
Kinga Skora
(201) 939-4242 ext. 131
We are pleased that Hartz Mountain Industries has chosen to partner with EZ Ride to provide shuttle services from Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken to New York City.
The Estuary Apartments in Lincoln Harbor has approximately 500 units and there are plans to add 900 more units soon. Public transit is the primary mode of transportation to the City. Weehawken is the last stop for the buses driving into the city and are sometimes already full when they arrive. The shuttle is designed to augment NJ Transit bus service and accommodate those left behind.
Service will commence on November 4 and will be provided on weekdays during morning peak hours from 7 a.m to 10 a.m. The shuttle will operate using two minibuses at approximately 25-30 minutes frequency.
EZ Ride also provides shuttles for Hartz Mountain Industries from their Harmon Meadow facility to Secaucus Junction using four buses that operate during peak hours.
For additional information please contact:
Avnish Gupta
(201) 939-4242 ext. 118
On June 17, 2019 EZ Ride’s Bike & Pedestrian Team in partnership with the Elmwood Park School District, the Elmwood Park Police Department, NJTPA’s Street Smart NJ Program, and the NJ Devil’s mascot, known as “NJ,” launched the Street Smart NJ campaign safety messages for drivers and pedestrians at the Gilbert Elementary School.
A short video about how to cross streets safely was presented to more than 250 Grade K-3 students. We taught the children our four safety rules, “Stop, Look, Listen & Wave.” Several of them volunteered to come up and practice the rules on our mini-roadway along with NJ, who modeled the safe way to cross a street.
We also premiered the brand new Street Smart NJ Public Service Announcement starring Ken Daneyko, former NJ Devil’s ice hockey player and three-time Stanley Cup winner. In the video, Daneyko emphasizes the importance of walking safely in busy New Jersey and the danger of being a distracted driver or pedestrian.
The Street Smart NJ messages in the campaign were:
- Wait for the Walk Signal to cross streets
- Heads Up & Phone Down for both drivers and pedestrians
- Cross at the Corners, not mid-block
- Look Before Crossing
- Use the Crosswalks
For more information, please contact:
Lisa Lee
(201) 939-4242 ext. 123
Michael had lived in Spring Lake, Summit and New York City before settling down in Montclair. He doesn’t drive and has witnessed the changes in the transportation services available in town.
He joined Ryde4life in August 2017, and he uses it for trips outside of Montclair.
For Michael, being a member of Ryde4Life makes him feel independent and in charge of his transportation without having to own a car. He likes Ryde4Life because its available on-demand, and he saves a lot of money compared to local taxi services. He said he rates Ryde4Life “a 20+” and that he is a “satisfied customer.”
For additional information or to sign up for the program, call:
(866) 208-1307, Option 4
or visit
www.Ryde4Life.org
In March 2019, Essex County teamed up with EZ Ride to provide rides for older adults using the Ryde4Life program. The pilot program was designed to augment the county paratransit systems either because of capacity constraints, requests for rides outside of normal operating hours or delayed requests for a ride.
The process is simple – TransDev, the county’s paratransit operator provides EZ Ride with a list of passengers with their pick-up and drop-off locations a day before they are required. The following day, the riders call EZ Ride directly to request a ride, and the EZ Ride Coordinator uses Lyft/ Uber to provide the service. At the end of the month, EZ Ride bills the county the actual cost of the ride and an additional $2.50 per trip.
Funding for the pilot program was provided in equal amounts by NJ Transit and Essex County. In the last three months, EZ Ride has provided more than 800 rides to county residents.
“The program has been an immediate and overwhelming success. And the number of rides has gradually increased to about 40 trips a day. Our goal in Essex County is to eliminate the transportation barrier and improve the quality of life for our seniors. We are delighted with the services provided by EZ Ride.
We look forward to making it a regular feature on our menu of transportation options,” said Michael Vieira, Essex County Director of Transportation Services.
The Ryde4Life program is very popular with older adults as no reservation is required, and riding in a sedan is far more comfortable than a minibus. However, the average cost of the ride is about $13, which poses a financial burden for most of our riders who live on a fixed income and cannot always afford the trip. The success of the Essex County program was primarily because the rides are free.
The Ryde4Life program primarily serves – older adults, passengers with disabilities, and lower-income residents living in areas with little or no public transportation.
Typically, NJ Transit commuters only pay about 50 percent of the operating cost of the ride. We want to offer the same 50 percent discount to our riders in the Ryde4Life program.
For additional information about the Ryde4Life program, please contact:
Barbara Friedman
(201) 939-4242 ext. 223
On May 17, 2019, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), in partnership with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), announced $5.8 million in Safe Routes to School (SRTS) infrastructure grants to eleven communities. Seven of these eleven winners are EZ Ride’s municipal and school partners, who were awarded a total of $4.2 million.
In Bergen County:
- $210,000 for Berkeley Elementary School in Westwood
In Essex County:
- $1,000,000 for Hawkins 13th Ave School in Newark
- $1,000,000 for Park Avenue Elementary School in Orange
In Monmouth County:
- $500,000 for Bradley Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Asbury Park
- $275,000 for Highlands Elementary School in Highlands
- $230,000 for Amerigo A. Anastasia Elementary Middle School in Long Branch
- $1,000,000 for River Plaza Elementary School in Middletown
EZ Ride partnered with schools, parents, students, community leaders, police, and other city officials in these communities to identify the barriers that prevented walking or biking in the neighborhood. The schools also documented how students get to and from school – bus, bike, car, walk, or public transit. And EZ Ride prepared a School Travel Plan with recommendations on improving the bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure around the school, which was a requirement for all communities seeking infrastructure grants.
“We believe that the Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Grant will help improve the pedestrian and traffic safety not only for our students but also for our residents. We are a township where residents will be healthier, happier, and better connected when they feel they can travel safely around the town.
Dr. Gerald Fitzhugh II, Ed.D, Superintendent, Orange Public Schools continued, “School district staff, city officials, parents, students, and the EZ Ride bike and pedestrian team collaborated to assess and gather the data for the walkability audit. The Travel Plan Report written by EZ Ride identified the traffic safety issues we noted during the audit and provided specific recommendations for us to implement and to highlight in our grant application. During the process, the entire school community was galvanized around improving pedestrian and traffic safety issues in the township.
We look forward to working further with the City of Orange Township, EZ Ride, and NJ Safe Routes to Schools to develop opportunities for safer travel to our district schools.”
For more information about our bike and pedestrian programs, please contact:
Lisa Lee
(201) 939-4242 ext. 123
An $11.7 million, state-funded Bloomfield Avenue Bridge rehabilitation project will replace the bridge superstructure, which is in “poor condition.” The bridge is located on Bloomfield Avenue/CR506 over NJ TRANSIT’s Montclair Rail Line near Maple Avenue in Montclair.
The project will be advanced in stages to minimize the impact on motorists. EZ Ride partnered with IEW Construction Group to provide shuttle service for pedestrians during sidewalk closures. The service is free, and it’s provided seven days a week: Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The shuttle operates continuously, picking up at Bloomfield Ave and Highland Ave, Bloomfield Ave and Pine Street, and Bay Street Train Station. Additionally, if needed, riders can flag the shuttle along Woodland Ave.
The shuttle service began on June 29 and is expected to continue operating until December 2019. The overall construction on the bridge is expected to be completed by summer 2020.
Riders can obtain additional information about the service by contacting:
Veronica Gallegos
(201) 939-4242 ext. 1
BNE Real Estate Group is a family-
owned business with an established track record of developing thousands of luxury homes, more than one million square feet of commercial space, and manages nearly 8,000 apartments.
In spring 2019 they began leasing operations at their latest venture, One Harrison, located along the Harrison waterfront. In addition to several lifestyle amenities, BNE partnered with EZ Ride to offer their residents free shuttle service to and from the Harrison PATH station.
“The shuttle is a huge draw for residents who commute using the PATH train service at Harrison. It seamlessly connects our community with public transportation and eliminates the hassles and expense of owning a car. EZ Ride serves not only One Harrison but also two more of our residential communities – Monarch in East Rutherford and Water’s Edge in Harrison,” said Seth Cohen, Executive Vice President – Head of Operations at BNE Real Estate Group.
The Harrison PATH station was redeveloped at a cost of $256 million to include glass-enclosed, weather-protected station entrances; modern elevators widened stairs and escalators to platforms; and, possibly the most critical feature, extended platforms to accommodate longer, 10-car trains. EZ Ride operates five different shuttle services from the Harrison PATH station for various clients.
For more information about setting up shuttle services at your facility, please contact:
Kinga Skora
(201) 939-4242 ext. 131