For 50 years, multiple generations of residents and visitors have relied on Somerset County’s Division of Transportation for rides to work, trips to the doctor, shuttles to Raritan Valley Community College, lifts to personal care appointments, and more.
“In the past fifteen years alone, our Transportation Division has provided over 5.5 million trips to our residents,” said Commissioner Melonie Marano, liaison to the Transportation Division. “These are rides to doctor’s appointments, to places of employment, to dialysis centers for vital life-saving care, to our County Senior Wellness Centers, and to other personal care appointments such as visits to hair salons, banks, and pharmacies.
“As we celebrate 50 years of transportation services in Somerset County, I am excited to say the best is yet to come – a new innovative web app to help our passengers travel easier; an increasing fleet of electric, eco-conscious vehicles; additional service stops; and more.”
Since 2009, Somerset County’s Division of Transportation has completed over 5.5 million trips through their shuttles, which include the Somerset County Office of Transportation Shuttle (SCOOT), Davidson Avenue Shuttle (DASH), Community Access Transit Shuttle (CAT), and the Para-Transit Shuttle.
Trip Breakdown for the Last 15 Years:
- Para-Transit Services – 4,164,885
- Public Transit Services (SCOOT, DASH, CAT) – 1,336,247
“Every day, residents of all ages and backgrounds rely on these services for reliable transportation,” said James Artfitch, assistant director for Somerset County’s Division of Transportation.
The Transportation Division has worked diligently to evaluate the needs of riders, which is why time changes and additional stops were added on Dec. 2.
“For the last 50 years, we’ve been providing transportation to jobs, medical appointments, senior centers, and more,” Artfitch said. “We’ve been doing transportation for a long time to help people get their needs met.”
The Transportation Division has also worked to reduce emissions by introducing New Jersey’s first fleet of electric vehicles for public transit in 2023.
Somerset County TransitGo! App – Began Dec. 2.
The Somerset County Division of Transportation is working to increase ridership and enhance the reliability of shuttle services for all passengers by connecting riders with real-time information.
Through the new Somerset County TransitGo! App, passengers can access the following information:
- Bus alerts (arrivals, delays, cancellations, etc.)
- Estimated time of arrivals (ETA’s) for buses
- Live bus tracking
- Route schedules
- Bus capacity
- Stops lists
The new changes will help to reduce the uncertainty of arrival and wait times for all passengers. In addition, riders of the SCOOT, DASH, and CAT buses can use the app to search for the nearest stop, tag favorites routes, and stay informed on route changes or delays.
“People will be able to rely on public transportation more. They can go on their phone, pull up the app, and see where their bus is,” Artfitch said. “They’ll get messages if there’s bus delays. Riders won’t have to waste time worrying and wondering when their bus will arrive. We hear that passengers want reliable transportation, and this is another step towards providing that.”
The Somerset County TransitGo! App is free to download from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
Riders can also receive free updates on delays, reroutes, and cancellations through text or email via Nixle.
For additional information, contact transportationdiv@co.somerset.nj.us.
