NJ TRANSIT Commuters Stunned As Manhattan-Bound Bus Operates With Doors Wide Open
CLIFFSIDE PARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A group of NJ TRANSIT commuters recently faced a dangerous ride when their bus doors wouldn't shut.
It was all captioned in a video titled "A Lovely Ride With NJ Transit," but the hour-long commute on a bus with broken doors in the middle of winter was anything but.
"The bus would stop and the door wouldn't close, then the next time it would go to a stop the driver would just have difficulty closing it," commuter Geoffrey Blueman said.
Blueman took the video last month on his usual 8 a.m. ride from Cliffside Park to midtown Manhattan. No one was hurt, but no one was really surprised by the wide open doors either.
"Everyone else was just kinda dealing with it like business as usual," Blueman said. "I'd say dysfunction is definitely a common theme when it comes to their buses."
While commuters often complain about NJ TRANSIT's service, Blueman says its problems can be as basic as broken parts.
"Even in Port Authority, you hop on a bus and the bus wouldn't move," he said. "You'd have to get off and wait for a new one."
NJ TRANSIT says its buses aren't supposed to be operating with the doors open at any time, and claims its buses are inspected every day.
An audit of the agency last October revealed their system for managing its materials "does not seem to be functioning properly," which often leaves NJ TRANSIT without 15 to 30 percent of their needed spare parts.
"Maybe instead of fixing the same old buses over and over, maybe invest in some new ones," Blueman said.
Governor Phil Murphy's office says NJ TRANSIT is currently waiting for the delivery of 182 newly bought buses.
