Ridgewood to NYC parking info needed ( Coach USA- Rt 17) (Paramus: living in, buses)

[farniente5]

Hi,

we are a family considering living in Ridgewood NJ (currently in NYC area).

We have looked at the commute options including previous threads and my work being midtown, it turns out that short line bus commute (COACH USA) is the fastest from Ridgewood to NYC in the morning.

It looks like the Park and Ride 575 Rt 17 would work.
Does anyone know the fee to park our car there ? Is that a regular parking lot with quarters ? What happened if I would leave the car at 7 am and pick it up after 8pm ? Is there any issue in terms of capacity ?

Also, it looks like there's no monthly option, only 10 or 20 tickets which is unusual for me.

If anyone is doing this commute, any color on time in the morning (departure around 7 am from Ridgewood) and evening ( around 6pm from Port Auth), any information would be appreciated in terms of actual time, if the parking lot gets crowded, is this bus line reliable and on time ?


I notice that other posts mention the train and the NJ transit commute, but both seem to be about 1 hour from Ridgewood to midtown, while the shortline/coach bus is only 35 minutes in the morning, cutting the commuting time by a fair amount.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by farniente5

Hi,

we are a family considering living in Ridgewood NJ (currently in NYC area).

We have looked at the commute options including previous threads and my work being midtown, it turns out that short line bus commute (COACH USA) is the fastest from Ridgewood to NYC in the morning.

It looks like the Park and Ride 575 Rt 17 would work.
Does anyone know the fee to park our car there ? Is that a regular parking lot with quarters ? What happened if I would leave the car at 7 am and pick it up after 8pm ? Is there any issue in terms of capacity ?

Also, it looks like there's no monthly option, only 10 or 20 tickets which is unusual for me.

If anyone is doing this commute, any color on time in the morning (departure around 7 am from Ridgewood) and evening ( around 6pm from Port Auth), any information would be appreciated in terms of actual time, if the parking lot gets crowded, is this bus line reliable and on time ?


I notice that other posts mention the train and the NJ transit commute, but both seem to be about 1 hour from Ridgewood to midtown, while the shortline/coach bus is only 35 minutes in the morning, cutting the commuting time by a fair amount.

I am not aware of the parking situation and I can't find anything on the bus site itself either, but just wanted to caution you to be aware that the 35-minute commute time is from Ridgewood to the NYC side of the George Washington Bridge in upper Manhattan around 178th St. Since you are in midtown, you've got more travel time ahead of you from there--most likely a subway ride. It does look as though the bus continues down through the city on the east side, but then, for example, it's an hour and ten minute ride to 34th and 2nd Avenue.

The NJ Transit buses have monthly tickets. That's about an hour ride from Ridgewood to the PABT, providing you are using the express buses during rush hour.

[farniente5]

Hi,

oddly enough the coachusa.com website is down as I am writing these lines. I was able to get their schedule :

6:55 am Ridgewood Route 17S Park and Ride -> 7:31 am PABT 41st/8avenue.
7:09 am same location -> 7:42 am PABT

This is by far the fastest way ( and probably the most expensive) to get to midtown manhattan from Ridgewood. the GWB route, the train and the NJ transit are other ways to do it but take an additional 25 minutes.

Just curious if the parking area is safe at night, if this coach/shortline bus is a reliable commute, and the parking fee;

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by farniente5

Hi,

oddly enough the coachusa.com website is down as I am writing these lines. I was able to get their schedule :

6:55 am Ridgewood Route 17S Park and Ride -> 7:31 am PABT 41st/8avenue.
7:09 am same location -> 7:42 am PABT

This is by far the fastest way ( and probably the most expensive) to get to midtown manhattan from Ridgewood. the GWB route, the train and the NJ transit are other ways to do it but take an additional 25 minutes.

Just curious if the parking area is safe at night, if this coach/shortline bus is a reliable commute, and the parking fee;

OK, my mistake then--I didn't see anything but the GWB line. I don't know where you can find out about the parking. Maybe you will have to take a ride there and see if anything is posted.

[Chandpenge]

Hi- wondering if there are any updates on this commute? Can you put a bike under the bus? And are there seats if you get on after the ParkNRide? Like at Linwood Ave?

[nicobellic]

Originally Posted by Chandpenge

Hi- wondering if there are any updates on this commute? Can you put a bike under the bus? And are there seats if you get on after the ParkNRide? Like at Linwood Ave?

The Coach USA timings are cr*p, to put it mildly.

Here is the thing. You will make it from the Rt 17 stop in Ridgewood to the exit for Lincoln Tunnel from NJTP eastern spur (which is where the Lincoln Tunnel bus lane starts) in 20-25 minutes every day of the week whether at 5 am or at 8 am.

From that toll booth to Port Authority by the express bus lane takes 12-15 minutes if you are there by 7 am in spring/fall, 7:15 in summer and 6:45 in winter. So yes, you can get to PA in less than 40 minutes.

HOWEVER, if you get to that toll booth later than the above mentioned times, then it can take you anything up to 1 hour 15 minutes (or more) to cross the same stretch.

Things are worse on the way back. There are long lines in Port Authority due to the backup in the inbound tunnel delaying buses coming to PA (no parking in NYC means most buses are parked on the NJ side even during daytime). Peak crowding is 4:30-5:45. So you will wait in line to get onto the bus, which may be late, and then the bus will first get stuck trying to exit through Lincoln Tunnel, and then in the long line for the exit from 80W to GSP.

In short, it is not a short commute - as indicated by Coach USA - unless you leave at 6:30 in the morning and return after 7:30 in the evening.

If you are going to drive yourself to the park and ride anyway, then it is better to drive to the North Bergen Park and Ride just after the exit from NJTP for Lincoln Tunnel. $9 parking for the day and free NJ Transit shuttle both way to Port Authority, every few minutes at peak hours.

Alternatively, you can take the NJ Transit 163P Parkway express bus (on the 15 from 6:45 to 7:30) that directly goes from Ridgewood to PA with no stops in between. Same as taking the Coach USA Route 17 but without parking - the 163P stops throughout Ridgewood.

Third option is to go to the Parkway Exit 165 park and ride in Paramus and take the NJ Transit Parkway Express bus straight to PA.

Coach USA buses are not magically. They take the same roads and everyone else and take the same time to reach. It is just aggressive scheduling.