CoachUSA from New Brunswick park&ride questions (Highland Park, Franklin: live in, restaurants)

[MJPByron]

Hello,

I'm about to start a job in NYC. I live in Highland Park and am looking at taking the CoachUSA bus from the big park & ride down 27 from New Brunswick. I had a few questions:

1) It's free to park there, right?
2) How long is the ride?
3) How bad would traffic time fluctuations be if I took a bus that left before 7 AM to arrive at Port Authority by 8?
4) Which gate does the bus leave from at Port Authority in the evenings and how bad is the ride back if it's a bus at 4, 5, or 6?

I may be able to flex my hours so I was hoping a few people could sound off.

If it's really that bad, I may just ride my bike to the New Brunswick train station, but that's around $50/month more albeit probably a more reliable schedule since it's not up the Turnpike.

Thanks in advance!

[RUNYYfan]

FWIW, if you don't have medical conditions that preclude you from walking or biking I think it would be easier to walk or bike down from Highland Park to the Ferren Parking Deck across from the train station than to drive down to the CoachUSA Depot in Franklin.

In terms of the Park&Ride lot, I recall it being free, but that may have changed in the last few years. The ride from the P&R lot is about an hour and 15 mins. From the Ferren Deck, it's about an hour to an hour and ten minutes.

The bus line into PA is 100. If you got the 6:50am bus, it would get you in between 7:50 and 8:00am depending on traffic. Depending on when you need to be at your desk, the 6:40am bus from Ferren may be the better option. *shrug*

As for the gate out of PA, the gate numbers are 417-419.

Hope this helps somewhat.

[MJPByron]

So the morning pickup is from in front of Ferren Mall? Like where the Mongolian and Mexican restaurants are? I know that the dropoff is right in front of the train station.

The difference is the cost: $310 for CoachUSA vs. $361 for NJ Transit. Also, my office is slightly closer to Port Authority than Penn Station. Also, I'm not the world's strongest bike rider and the uphill ride from New Brunswick to Highland Park seems daunting.

[RUNYYfan]

Yes, morning pickup is in front of Ferren Mall, right in front of the restaurants. On the bad weather days, most people wind up standing by the elevators, but the wait is short enough.

I agree, the hill is not for every biker. Most I have seen and those I've talked to simply walk it, bike on the side.

[MJPByron]

Cool, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. It is much appreciated!

One last one: I don't suppose they have wi-fi on the buses, a la Bolt Bus?