Panther valley bus to PA NYC
I have to start commuting to NYC. I'm going to try the Martz bus from PV. Does anyone have experience with this who could share tips and dos and donts?
Paul I have to ask if you have looked at the current schedule. Last bus into the city is at 6:25 am. They used to have one closer to 7 am . Get there early to be one of the first in the line. Other than that it is not too bad. Long commute & expensive tickets but you can get used to it. And I did like working in NYC.
A good dayDefinitely get there early and watch out for "markers". The markers could be empty bottles, pens, umbrellas. People would get there and put whatever they had down (examples were things actually used) and wait in cars or drive away - they took the place of their "marker" when the bus arrived. PV is the last stop so there were also a lot of times where space was very limited. I used them for about a year but overall preferred other options.
Bonv Paul - Martz is a lot better than the train - 55 minutes to Port Authority vs. 120 minutes by way of Hoboken or Jersey Station, with so many frequent stops
DannyC Ah yes the markers! I made that mistake only once. Did not see the water bottles etc . There are more buses from rockaway mall but then you deal with 80. Thankful my company has a work from home policy.
Markers? Really? I thought that the idea of a line, was that you stood in line and waited - by that logic, you could put up a permanent marker sign, declaring that, although you weren't present at the moment, you intend to be present in the near future and when you are present THIS is your spot!! crazy
pmnsk Due to the minimal buses at PV people do get there early and sometimes sit in car. It can be dark, cold, raining or snowing. The markers are a long established tradition there.
Martz bus is definitely better than any train option, but there are some nasty people riding that bus...don't respect the markers and you'll see what I mean :)
I worked in Manhattan and tried train, driving and Martz bus. Bus and driving for years. Train not so much because it takes 2.5 hours.
It's all personal preference, but what I settled on eventually was driving to the North Bergen Park and Ride and taking the bus through the tunnel. There are buses every few minutes and you go in the bus lane - which is a MUST if commuting. It's 10 bucks a day for parking and a round trip bus ticket.
I know other people that left Martz and drove to the Mt. Arlington park and ride and took the Lakeland(?) bus from there.
TLDR: you really need to try different things to decide what matches your schedule and personality :)
ScottB The buses originate in PA. All I can say is you will see people sleeping under blankets on the PV bus. They must be from Scranton. The hour and a half average ride is a good time to sleep, read, work, stare out the window. etc. I remember going into the bathroom in the back of the bus to do a conference call with Japan. Good times.
If you are planning to ride a bus to NYC, check Lakeland Bus, it's much cheaper than Marz, more buses from Mt. Arlington park-and-ride or Rockaway mall (free parking). Dover terminal is also might be an option. No markers - get in line and take a seat. Lakeland also has buses going to Midtown and Downtown early in the morning.
Lena Depends where you're are working in NYC - I commuted to lower Manhattan and felt driving to Harrison and taking the path were a better option
skippy I saw lakeland in PV which confused me because I don't see PV as a stop on their site. Are there any stops for lakeland near by? Website is not always accurate
Jsmith Lakeland only goes to the casinos in Pa. A joke since they could make a killing in PV heading to NY
iRun If I were you, I'd take the train from Hackettstown to Hoboken and then the PATH into the city. Trains are always better than busses.
1988LJ When you work in NYC and add a commute that is long the preference is for fewer steps in the commute. You drive to PV or the mall, get on the bus, get off in PA and either walk or take a subway/bus to work. That is ideal. Taking a train from h town takes forever .
Lakeland bus used to have a stop in park-and-ride in the U-turn near Target. It was at least 17 years ago. Now the last local stop is in Budd Lake, with very limited buses during week, none during weekend. The website for Lakeland bus is very accurate.
Markers? I never saw these. If I had, the person would absolutely not have a marker. Lazy ass can stand in line like everyone else. Martz is a good option and I would recommend them.
FredFinger Lena
There was also a stop downtown..that did weekends..might have been lakeland..it was by one of the old bank buildings
It honestly depends on your final NYC destination the PV bus goes to Wall Street - if you work in mid town add 45 to an hour to your commute and there are other options - I currently commute from Raleigh to upper east side on a weekly basis - don't ask lol - but I am sincerely in tune with the current transit nonsense
Trains are not always better. There is no such thing as always. Hackettstown's train service is an exception, it is way too slow and infrequent for daily commuters...
iJay North Bergen park and ride... Best commute into the city. I'd still be doing it today if I didn't have parking under the building.
Brendan 
Shutterbug Shutterbug - It's public parking, there is no cost. If you're commuting there are spots available. If you want to go in after the rush hour but before commuters come home it can be tight.
GC I've arrived at Mt. Arlington very early (6:15 or so) and spots are always filled - have had to keep going to Rockaway. This has happened several times so have a Plan B.
I usually go Lakeland from Dover to NYC (or a different Lakeland stop that's closer to the city, depending on where I am at the time). I find Lakeland to be much cheaper and run more frequently.
For example - Round trip to NYC on Martz for a weekday is $52.75.
Round trip to NYC via Lakeland on a weekday (leaving from Dover) is $22.90.
It's a longer drive to get to Dover but I think it's worth the $30.00 you save. Plus I believe the bus only runs out of Panther Valley three times a day. On a typical weekday Lakeland runs every 15-30 minutes.
red76nj Even on Saturdays Lakeland buses run every 30 minutes during day or every hour after 6PM - to Dover terminal. Parking is free but fills up quickly. Last bus is after mid-night.
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