Suburban awarded E.B. bus contract Lengthy legal battle with town, bus co. has come to an end BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer With a lengthy legal battle finally in the past, East Brunswick now has a new contract for commuter busing. The Township Council passed a resolution Monday night to award a three-year contract to Suburban Bus Co., New Brunswick, which filed suit after losing out on the contract in 2001. The council had voted that summer to give the contract to Academy, of Hoboken, and end its longtime relationship with Suburban. Suburban quickly filed suit, however, and a state Superior Court judge in New Brunswick ruled that the township’s request for proposal (RFP) used to solicit contracts had been flawed. He also prohibited the town from implementing the contract with Academy. Academy appealed the decision, but this summer a state appeals court ruled that the stay was over and the township must go out to bid once again. The township received bids once again from the two companies, which were the only bidders, but this time used a simpler RFP. “We basically got rid of the weighted system,” council President David Stahl said after Monday’s meeting. “It was a different formula.” The weighted system included emphasis on both the price a company was willing to pay for use of the Neilsen parking garage and the Transportation and Commerce Center (TCC) — the two township-owned park-and-rides on Route 18 — as well as the price for passenger tickets. This time, only the charge to passengers was at issue. Suburban, a unionized company, came in with a lower figure, offering passengers a 10-trip package that will cost $60; as opposed to Academy’s proposed $66.50. Those figures are for the first year of the contract only, and the second year will cost $62 for the 10 tickets, while year three will cost $64, according to a township memorandum. Academy’s bid called for a $69 charge in year two, and $71.75 in year three. The 10-trip packet covers commuters for five days, assuming they use the tickets for round trips. Though the park-and-rides are sometimes used by others, it was the commuters who were in the center of the battle. The township’s Commuter Parking Advisory Committee helped design the RFP that landed the matter in court, though the township has said legal fees were paid by its utility fund, which is fed by money from commuter fees. Edward Miller, a member of the advisory group, said the commuters are pleased that a contract is finally in place. During the lawsuit, the township continued under the terms of the contract Suburban had been using before the lawsuit. Miller said he was not thrilled with the increase in ticket prices, but realizes that Academy’s would have been even higher. He also realized that commuters have not seen an increase in many years, and that other service areas charge even more. “I don’t like it, but it’s been a lot of years since we’ve had an increase,” he told the Sentinel. Miller also said he expects the bus service from Suburban to stay at a high level. In years past, there were many problems with the buses, but those seem to have basically ceased, he said. The contract is better than the previous one because of new clauses designed to ensure that passengers are picked up without a long wait, he said. “In the past, there was nothing you could do,” he said, referring to any action against the company for making people wait a long time. The new contract states that during rush hours a passenger cannot be made to wait more than 10 minutes for a seat on a bus, he said. Also, no matter the time of day, if 25 or more people are waiting for a bus, one has to be delivered within a short period of time, he said. Good seat availability was a main issue for the commuters, he said. Also, according to the memo, if passengers buy tickets in advance, they will pay $220 a month for 40 trips, rather than $260. This runs through August 2005. The resolution, signed by township Finance Director L. Mason Neely, also says that a “monthly saver’s fee” will charge passengers $220 per month for unlimited use through the end of August 2005, a 3 percent increase over the current 10-trip rate. The current price for a 10-trip package is $49.50, Stahl said. Stahl said commuters were very much in favor of the new contract, and they realize the dollar amounts are low in light of gas prices. The new bid requests went out in the summer, and they were received Sept. 27, according to the resolution. The new contract begins Dec. 6. Stahl said Suburban will also pay the township $45,000 a month for use of the two park-and-ride facilities.