E.B., Suburban agree to 17-month contract BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer EAST BRUNSWICK - After months of discussion, the Township Council voted unanimously Monday to award an interim contract to Suburban Transit for exclusive bus service at the township's park-and-ride facilities. Due to the ongoing construction of a parking deck at one of those facilities, the Transportation and Commerce Center (TCC), township officials decided to award a contract for just 17 months, instead of the usual three-year period. The six-story deck is expected to be substantially completed by next fall. Suburban, based in New Brunswick and owned by Coach USA, has long held the contract for exclusive service in East Brunswick, a matter that has been the subject of litigation over the years between the township, Suburban and Academy Bus Service. The new contract does not raise the price of bus tickets, but commuters have raised several concerns at recent council meetings, including complaints about drivers not making announcements, scheduling issues, late buses and uncomfortable seats. Township Finance Director L. Mason Neely, who runs the township's parking utility, has said that some of the complaints brought up to the council are not representative of how most commuters feel about the service. The new contract had been tabled at a September meeting because residents and some council members had concerns about provisions in the documents. Neely defended the deal, saying it requires more dispatchers, and allows for 10-trip tickets, at $64, to be valid up to 20 business days after purchase. Neely said other financial aspects of the contract, such as the amount Suburban pays the township, are also the same as in the past. In light of some complaints, Neely noted that he has fined the bus company when it has not lived up to terms of the contract. Councilman David Stahl said he had concerns with the interim contract, saying it lacked some of the quality-control assurances in the last contract, which is set to expire next month. Stahl said he knows there have been longstanding complaints about Suburban drivers not making important announcements. During Monday's meeting, one commuter, Lenore Gordon, complained that the buses are not always on time. Though officials said that was a result of traffic on Route 18, Gordon said she has sometimes taken an afternoon bus to New York City, and it was late despite there not being any rush-hour traffic. She said the commute itself is hard enough, but having to deal with late buses makes it worse. She said East Brunswick's leaders should meet and "brainstorm" the commuter issues to make changes. Stahl said the township has to examine what form the eventual three-year contract will take, and ensure that any inequalities are worked out. He mentioned, for example, how all of Suburban's buses stop at the Neilson Plaza, located at Tower Center, but that the company could make things easier for some commuters by also providing an express line to New York from the TCC. He said a committee could be formed to study the idea of having a two-tiered system in which express tickets are more expensive than others. "Seventeen months is not a long time, in my mind, for government to plan for the benefit of commuters," Stahl said.