WOODBURY — Gloucester County Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger and Freeholder Jim Jefferson, liaison to the Department of Health and Human Services, announced that the newly operating Pureland East-West Shuttle that started on June 1 has been steadily gaining ridership.
Damminger said, “Before this shuttle service started it was a hardship for many to take public transportation to work or appointments because service was so limited. During the month of July there were 744 one-way trips taken on the new shuttle and there were 360 one-way internal Pureland shuttle trips for the month of July.”
During the inaugural month of June there were 557 one-way trips taken and 181 Internal Pureland Shuttle trips. Damminger said he anticipates the numbers will continue to rise as more people learn about the shuttle.
Freeholder Jim Jefferson said, “If you took public transportation before this shuttle it might have taken you twice as long to get back and forth to work. As the shuttle usage grows so will the success of both our employers and our residents. This is filling the gap to provide access to workplaces, human service locations and health care facilities. This is an essential piece of getting our residents to work and providing our employers with the employees they need.”
Jefferson explained that the community shuttle provides 11 bus routes with 139 connections within a 15-minute wait to regularly scheduled NJ TRANSIT Bus Routes. The shuttle operates Monday through Friday from NJ TRANSIT’s Avandale Park and Ride with stops along the route at Williamstown, Glassboro, Mullica Hill, Swedesboro and the Pureland Industrial Complex. Before the shuttle riders would have to take a bus to Camden, then Woodbury to get to Pureland.
The Community Shuttle Service is a reality through the collaborative efforts of the Pascale Sykes Foundation, NJ TRANSIT, and United Way of Gloucester County, Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Heart of Gloucester County, Cross County Connection Transportation Management Association and the South Jersey Transportation Authority, operators of the shuttle service.
For information about the East-West Pureland Shuttle visit www.driveless.com.
