Staten Island And Jersey Snuggle Up
The MTA announced Monday that Staten Islanders will be getting a [brand new bus route] in the fall, whisking them over the Bayonne Bridge to the Garden State for easy access to Jersey City and Hoboken via the Hudson Bergen Light Rail and easier access to Manhattan via PATH trains. This marks the first time that [city buses will cross state lines](http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/118467366318480.xml&coll=1), giving Staten Islanders access to jobs in New Jersey and vice versa. Its been a long time coming, MTA executive director and CEO Elliot Lee Sander said, adding that Staten Islanders have been asking for the route for over eight years now. Eight years? Thats a mighty long wait for a bus, especially a bus to Jersey.
Officials said that approximately 1,200 commuters were expected to use the $2 service between Manhattans most ragged-on neighbors daily. Nine S89 buses will run during weekday peak rush hours only, leaving every 15 minutes to Bayonne. The MTA and NJ TRANSIT are now working together to try to arrange a joint monthly ticket for both bus and light rail service and lawmakers hope the new route will ease congestion in the perpetually traffic-plagued borough. The always note-worthy City Councilman Michael McMahon had this to say about the announcement: When I heard the news they were going to give us this bus service, I put my hand on the ground to see if hell had frozen over. Staten Island has been shortchanged with mass transportation for years.
We just hope that this and other public transit improvements will continue now that Bloombergs [congestion pricing scheme has failed](http://www.amny.com/news/local/transportation/am-mets0712,0,3356460.story). Wed hate to think that they were all just part of a PR ploy by the Mayors office to [increase public support](http://blog.silive.com/advanceupdate/2007/06/bloombergs_congestion_pricing.html) for the proposal among residents of the outer boroughs.