DeCamp bus, schedule realistic? (Upper Montclair/Glen Ridge)

[JaRuss01]

Thanks. yeah, unfortunately, that is the case. Here's an example - the broker/sellers are thinking - hey, the housing stock, on average, is 100 years old, with most houses not having many 21st century upgrades. If a 2,000 SF, 3/4 bedroom is $600k "market", then I will list it as $600k to not make anyone skiddish. But if the sellers put $100k into improvements for this particular house, such as central air, kitchen, etc, then the expected sales price should be ~$700k. Buyers have caught on, and are bidding accordingly.

[poly15]

Hey there JaRuss01

I am looking to buy a place in upper montclair and was basically doing the same kind of travel assessment you were. I was wondering, where did you end up? Was the bus bad? The train is gonna be quite a long walk if I buy this place so I really want the 33 bus to work out.

[pinkydapimp]

Originally Posted by poly15

Hey there JaRuss01

I am looking to buy a place in upper montclair and was basically doing the same kind of travel assessment you were. I was wondering, where did you end up? Was the bus bad? The train is gonna be quite a long walk if I buy this place so I really want the 33 bus to work out.

where along the 33 route would you be catching it from? what time would you leave? If leaving before 7:15ish its pretty reliable. After that, if you are past bellevue it can sometimes be standing room only and you can hit traffic. But you still have options. Depending on where you are you can also catch the 66 as well.

[poly15]

Thanks for the quick reply! Actually looking at the grove / belleview stop. I don't mind standing that much, as long as the bus actually comes haha. Not sure what time we would leave yet, still planning commute. I would probably go for around 820ish and my wife a bit earlier.

[pinkydapimp]

Originally Posted by poly15

Thanks for the quick reply! Actually looking at the grove / belleview stop. I don't mind standing that much, as long as the bus actually comes haha. Not sure what time we would leave yet, still planning commute. I would probably go for around 820ish and my wife a bit earlier.

That is our stop as well. 8:20 you will likely have a longer ride and may sometimes have full buses. But you can always walk up to park and catch the 66 as well so you do have options. Feel free to PM if you have any specific questions.

[JaRuss01]

I really hope that you’re not going off the decamp time table, thinking that all buses are 35 minutes, and you could leave for work after 8am and be at your desk by 9...

Just my rough estimate for the grove st 33 from Glen ridge parkway and grove. Maybe shave off 5 minutes the more north you live

630 am departure - 35 min
7am departure - 40 min
710 - 45 min
720 - 50 min
730 - 50 to and hour
Anything after 8am would be hell


We found a place a bit south of Glen Ridge country club. It’s not quite walking distance to Walnut St but I take the jitney to GR train station that basically loops up RWA and down Forest picking up ppl at their corner. After trying out everything I’m now a morning train guy with buses at night

I’ve used the 33 on Grove and 88 on broad. For the 33, you need to get it no later than 715 for a sub 50 min bus ride. 730 starts to get dicey. If you plan on leaving at 820am, I don’t want to disappoint you, but you may try it once then never do it again. The bus times are highly sensitive to peak traffic and a 40 min bus could be an hour and a half.

I will say the bus is great coming home after 730/8pm. It flies. 25-30 min trip. The bus should be avoided...(if the train is possible)...after 730am and before 7pm. While that sounds crazy, many adjust their work schedules if they are stuck living in an area without train access. The trains dont dictate your work schedule like the buses do, which is why many homes near the stations sell 15-30% over ask, and the Yantacaw area doesn’t have as many bidding wars.

If you could walk to watchung in under 20 minutes you may want to consider the train as an option. Otherwise, you may need to adjust your schedule with the bus.

[poly15]

JaRuss when you say... hell... lol. You think it's like an hour and a half or like an hour at that time to get to port authority? Basically the train is a 20 min walk, and my wife and I are closer to port authority than penn. This makes the train pretty inconvenient.

I am pretty much fine waiting an hour on the bus cause of traffic, what I am really afraid of is the bus not coming which I have heard rumblings about through my googling.

Thanks a lot for all the info!

[JaRuss01]

The buses become an hour by the time 730-740am rolls around, and would be an hour 15 maybe once or twice a week. At 8am, I could see the bus being an hour and a half, and pure gridlock. Unless you’re leaving so late that the traffic subsides and you get into work closer to 10am. You’re not going to find much feedback for those taking the bus at 8am, let alone after 820, just because people simply know better.

If you don’t use the train, You’ll naturally find yourself leaving your house at 710ish to catch the bus like everyone else. Because the later you leave the longer the commute will be. The buses come every 10 minutes and now and then you’ll skip a 10 min slot and you’ll be waiting around 15 minutes. I’m speaking from the 7-730am time slot.

We almost pulled the trigger on a house in Montclair that was too far from the train, but decided to stay disciplined. It’s tough since most houses you need to go Best and final the Tuesday after an open house. We probably would have regretted it and sold it to be closer to the train. Dual commuters plus daycare drop off plus time sensitive bus schedules is very frustrating. Especially when the town offers train service.