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.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey signaled it would go ahead with eliminating the carpool discount in January as it expands cashless tolling technology.

For years, commuters have utilized the carpool discount so they would only pay $6.50 at the George Washington Bridge rather than the $15 standard rate. The Port Authority announced in late September that it wanted to cancel the discount.

With the implementation of cashless tolling, officials contend, the discount would not work because toll workers would not be physically present to count how many occupants are in the car.

The cashless tolling system is being installed at the George Washington Bridge and the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, for a $240 million price tag. Under the new system, the toll booths would be replaced by mounted cameras which will take a picture of the license plate and either send the bill to the registered owner or deduct the funds from an E-ZPass account, if the owner has one.

Kinga Skora

(201) 939-4242 ext. 131

[email protected]

Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey, Community Health Center Inc. in Asbury Park is looking forward to working with EZ Ride and using the Ryde4Life program to provide transportation for their clients. VNACJ works with vulnerable populations such as at-risk children, the elderly, and individuals with chronic illness. Their mission is to help individuals and families achieve their best level of well-being by providing compassionate, coordinated, innovative care in their homes and communities. Transportation is often a challenge for their clients because their homes are located far from healthcare facilities, and most of them don’t own a car and could not afford to pay for a taxi service. As a result, many do not get to visit a physician until it’s too late.

VNACJ decided to partner with EZ Ride and launch a pilot transportation program. The goal is to provide reliable transportation for their clients, which would help them access healthcare services. Thanks to a grant from New Jersey Health Initiatives, EZ Ride will set up a dedicated transportation account for VNACJ clients using the Ryde4Life program. VNACJ representatives will contact EZ Ride and arrange transportation for groups or individuals in need of transportation.

For more information about the Ryde4Life program please contact:

Barbara Friedman

(201) 939-4242 ext. 223

[email protected]

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In February 2017, EZ Ride took over the township’s senior transportation service. Since then, the door-to-door, reservation-based service has been providing, on average, 700 passenger trips per month. Service is available free of charge for all residents 55 and older, including individuals with disabilities.

The Montclair Township Senior Bus operates five days a week. With our shuttle, you can find something for everyone throughout the week. Trips are provided to access social activities, cultural arts/events, classes, exercise groups, lectures, shopping and doctor appointments.

“I am happy to have extended our contract with EZ Ride because our partnership with them has ensured that the Montclair Senior Bus runs smoothly. And I also know we will receive the data we need to make informed decisions, and I can rely on them to provide us with expert feedback as well,” said Katie York, Director of Senior Services/Lifelong Montclair.

Many senior members are pleased with the service. “Other than much-appreciated availability of the service itself, the “gem” of the service had been the drivers – reliable, courteous, and always on-time,” said Augusta Ellen Madyun.

If your town is interested in learning more the senior shuttle program, please contact:

Kinga Skora

(201) 939-4242 ext. 131

[email protected]

Walk to School Day is an international event celebrated in October each year. Thousands of communities join in with the fun and safe Walk to School Day events that get families, teachers, city staff, and community members walking together while educating children and families about the benefits of walking.

Over 7,500 students from 41 schools in EZ Ride’s service area registered and  participated in the event this year on www.WalkBiketoSchool.org website.

The ultimate goal is to develop a walk to school program that is not limited to one day or one event but to create a culture of walking all year round. Farmingdale School in Monmouth County embodies that spirit and encourages its students to walk to school regularly. In addition to celebrating “Walk to School Month” in October and “NJ Bike Month” in May, the school host weekly “Walk to School Wednesdays.” Having an ongoing walking program earned them the Silver Safe Routes to School Recognition Award.

“Walk to School” days are a fun way to encourage and increase the number of students and their parents who walk to school. They help to reduce congestion around school areas, eliminate unnecessary idling of cars, and decreases the potential for crashes between vehicles and pedestrians.

For more information about walking and biking programs, please contact:

Latoya Howard

(201) 939-4242 ext. 122

[email protected]