Mercer County has secured an additional $60,000 from NJ Transit to keep the Route 130 Connection bus service running into Middlesex County after federal pandemic funding that paid for the expansion was set to expire later this year.
The additional funding will allow the service to continue without interruption, preserving a transportation link between Trenton and employment centers along the Route 130 corridor and the New Jersey Turnpike Exit 8A warehouse district in Cranbury, Monroe and South Brunswick.
The Route 130 Connection runs between the Trenton Transit Center and eastern Mercer County, with stops serving Hamilton, Mercer County Community College’s West Windsor campus, Hightstown and East Windsor before continuing into the Middlesex County warehouse and business district.
The service has long been aimed in large part at connecting workers with jobs that can be difficult to reach through traditional public transportation.
The Route 130 Connection was already operating as a Job Access and Reverse Commute, or JARC, service by 2007. The federal JARC program was created to address transportation barriers faced by low-income workers and people making the transition from public assistance to employment, particularly when jobs were located in suburban areas or required travel outside traditional commuting hours.
The route has evolved as development and employment patterns along Route 130 have changed.
A major restructuring in 2016 added service between East Windsor and Hightstown and Mercer County Community College’s West Windsor campus, increased weekday trips between Trenton and the Exit 8A warehouse area and expanded weekday and Saturday service.
The most significant recent expansion came in 2023, when Mercer County committed $710,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to a two-year expansion of the service.
County officials said at the time that the expansion was intended in part to address the rapid growth of warehouse and logistics jobs along the Route 130 corridor and the difficulty workers faced reaching those jobs during early morning and late-night shifts.
The expanded service added stops and trips into Middlesex County, including additional access to warehouse and logistics employers in the Cranbury, Monroe and South Brunswick area. The county began the ARPA-funded pilot expansion in June 2023, with additional early-morning and late-night runs designed to accommodate workers at employers including Amazon, Wayfair and UPS.
With that federal funding approaching its end, the county faced a gap between the cost of maintaining the expanded service and the money available through its regular funding sources.
The Route 130 Connection normally receives about $240,000 annually from NJ Transit, supplemented by Mercer County funding. The additional $60,000 from NJ Transit will help maintain both the original service and the Middlesex County expansion.
“Reliable transportation is an essential part of a strong local economy,” Mercer County Executive Dan Benson said. “For many residents, having access to an affordable way to get to work makes the difference between accepting a good job opportunity and having to turn it down.”
Benson said preserving the Middlesex County portion of the route was particularly important because it gives Mercer County residents access to jobs beyond the county line.
“The Route 130 Connection removes that barrier by linking Mercer County residents with jobs and businesses along the Route 130 corridor and beyond,” he said. “This additional funding allows us to continue this vital service and preserve our important expansion into Middlesex County.”
The Route 130 Connection is operated in partnership with the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association.
The service also provides connections with other transportation systems. Stops include the Trenton Transit Center and Hamilton Rail Station, while the Hamilton Marketplace stop provides connections with NJ Transit routes and other employment shuttles. In Middlesex County, riders can also connect with the Middlesex County M1 route.
The Route 130 Connection remains open to the general public for $1 each way, the same fare charged for years. Work First New Jersey clients with county identification can ride free.
The route currently provides express service between Trenton and the East Windsor-Hightstown area and the Exit 8A business and warehouse district, along with local service to destinations including Hamilton Marketplace and Mercer County Community College.
Greater Mercer TMA also introduced real-time tracking for the Route 130 Connection through the TripShot platform earlier this year. County officials said stops and schedule information are also available through Google Maps.
