NYC commute: Dover Lakeland bus parking?
I am considering a job that requires travel into NYC midtown a couple of times a month. The destination is quite close to the PABT. The Martz bus schedule is limited and I'd prefer something that runs more often.
Does anyone know if the parking lot fills up in Dover at the Lakeland bus terminal? If so, is there a certain time to arrive by in order to nail a space? I've never been there and I haven't lived in this area long enough to know the best places to park for such infrequent (but regular) trips.
My concern is getting to a commuter lot, finding it filled, and being too unfamiliar with this part of NJ to find my way to another commuter lot—or, finding another lot only to learn that if I don't have a monthly pass, I can't park there.
Any input about the Dover bus terminal would be appreciated. I read through prior threads and someone mentioned that the Mt. Arlington park and ride fills up as early as 6:15 a.m. and I don't want to go there and risk navigating elsewhere to get a bus.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
SquirrelGirl Not sure abut the Dover terminal but you can always take the Lakeland Bus from the Rockaway Mall. Plenty of parking there.
JrzyGirl88 When my daughter used to commute to NYC she took a bus from Rockaway Mall - easier and quicker to get from Hackettstown area, quicker commute on a bus (less stops), free and plenty of parking. Some buses will even not stop at all between mall and NYC.
Taking bus from / to Dover terminal worth only because of buses are leaving/arriving every 30 minutes but buses do much more stops so your commute on a bus will be slower than if you go to the mall. Compare schedule 46 vs schedule 80 and you will see the difference.
Lena Thank you for the feedback JrzyGirl88 and Lena. I thought I read somewhere else that parking was an issue at Rockaway. Glad to know it's not.
I am pretty unfamiliar with that mall. Do you know around what part (near what stores) the commuter parking might be?
Thanks again! This helps a lot.
Don’t go from panther valley it’s 60 a day round trip and it takes a freaking Christmas m.
Drew SquirrelGirl - You're welcome!
Lakeland bus website has a list of stops for each route. Check them, one of them might be more convenient for you than Rockaway Mall but you will need to consider the bus commute time (Route 80 is fastest) and bus frequency. My former boss commuted from Sparta by bus for years, the stop was just 3 minutes drive from his house.
Mount Arlington also has a pick-up site with plenty of parking. You can get a direct bus also. It is a little closer than the mall. I believe there are as many buses as Rockaway. Can't miss it as you get off of Route 80.
Happycamper 
Don These are all great replies. Thank you! I read back on some old threads and someone mentioned that Mount Arlington's lot fills up by 6:15 a.m. Not sure if that's still the case. I can always experiment now that I know where both that one and the Rockaway one are located. Thanks again.
I took the 6:30am bus from Mt. Arlington for 15 years and never had a problem finding a space.
kb2755 I'm resurrecting this thread to ask another question. I still have not taken a Lakeland bus into NYC and plan to do so next week, leaving from Rockaway Mall based on the recommendations here.
Can someone tell me if Lakeland allows riders to purchase a bus ticket directly on the bus when boarding? Or, is there a ticket machine at the Park and Ride? Thanks for any insights.
It used to be you needed the ticket to board as the drivers didn't have the ability to make change. Times may have changed, I haven't done this in years.
Jono You can get tickets at the Libero Hair Salon in Rockaway, but of course during their normal working hours. If I knew I had to go into the city for work and leave in the morning, I’d get a ticket in advance.
I believe you can buy a ticket from the driver from the Rockaway lot. You cannot buy a ticket from a driver at the Port Authority - you need to use one of the many kiosks at the terminal.
D-ManPV If you are riding a bus from Dover terminal, you need to buy tickets from cashier and then board the bus. If you know you will be returning back, buy round trip ticket - in such a case you don't need to buy a ticket at the Port Authority kiosk. On any other bus stops, you can pay cash for this single ride to the driver. I think ticket is valid for at least 3 months, might be longer.
If you are at a stop, you can buy a ticket on the bus when you go to NY. But in the city or at the Dover terminal you must buy the ticket from the ticket windows. The driver may or may not have change. If they don't you have to wait until they get to NY where they'll make change after everyone gets off the bus.
GC I purchased a ticket directly from the driver when I boarded at Rockaway Mall to head to NYC last Spring. It was a very early bus, and at that time, the driver had change, but as suggested, exact amount or close would help. Purchasing the return ticket at the ticket window in Port Authority was easy, too.
Friend From Rockaway you can pay on the bus exact change. I believe it is $13.05 but you will need to check their website.
buslife This helps a great deal. Thank you. I will bring lots of change when I go. I will have plenty of time to wait on line at the PABT to buy my return ticket as there is no bus to NYC at the time I need it and I will end up arriving an hour earlier than I need to.
Make sure you take the express bus, otherwise, it will be stopping everywhere and will take forever to get to the city. You can buy your ticket from the bus driver on your way to NYC, no bill bigger than a $20. Also, there is a Lakeland bus from Quickcheck in Budd Lake, but don’t how often they run and it’s not a park and ride. When you get to PABT, I suggest you already buy your ticket so you don’t have to wait in line in the afternoon during rush hour and ask which Gate the bus leaves out off. Good luck.
Sheila Sheila
I can't for the life of me figure out where there's a Quick Chek in Budd Lake. Am I having a brain fart or do you mean the one in Netcong? The Budd Lake stop is at the 7-11, at least from what I know. I definitely agree about taking the Express for sure. When I'd take it from Parsippany to NYC the local one seemed to take forever from there at times.
SquirrelGirl
Here's a list of all the stops on the Rt. 80 run from Newton to PABT from the Lakeland bus website:
http://www.lakelandbus.com/stops/#bus_stops_80
The Rt. 46 run only comes out to Rockaway Mall/Dover, though they have a notice on their main page that construction is blocking them them from pickups at the Mall itself and their furthest current pickup is at Passaic Ave/Target
Here's a list of their schedules, both on the web as well as downloadable pdfs:
http://www.lakelandbus.com/bus-schedules/
Personally, my first choice would be the Park and Ride on Rt. 183 by the turnaround at Dell near Shakey Jake's. Easy to get back to Hackettstown via 206 and Waterloo Rd. You can get Express buses from there too, fare is $13.75 and you have a lot to park in.
After that I'd go with the old A&P on Lakeside Blvd. in Landing. The Liquor Factory there is also a ticket seller. Plenty of parking & Express buses.
Phil D. Sorry, you are correct, Squirrel Girl, it is the 7-11 in Budd Lake, not a Quickcheck.
Phil D, I believe the Lakeland site is referring to the Route 46 line and Willowbrook Mall. The bus that goes to Rockaway Mall is a Route 80 bus according to their site. Thanks for the tip though!
SquirrelGirl
Yep, don't know how I did that. Somehow I thought I read Rockaway Mall yesterday, which was confusing considering I didn't know of a Passaic Ave entrance by the Rockaway Target. I could swear I went back to http://www.lakelandbus.com/ three times and read "Rockaway Mall", not Willowbrook, but it makes sense now, thanks. Went back today and indeed it does say "Willowbrook Mall" WTH, LOL! Yeah, Rt. 46 line starts at their terminal near the East end of Blackwell St. about a block from where I worked in Dover.
I'd still stick with the two stops I mentioned for my own purposes, that is unless the timing is bad for you since personally I'd rather let the bus driver do most of the work of driving. That's why I'm paying them;-) I mean there are several back ways to Hackettstown from the Rockaway Mall should you wish not to go via Rt. 80, etc. coming home, but personally I'd rather do just a nice wind down drive on the way home, rather than deal with what's likely rush hours traffic. Did that for too many years too. I knew the back ways to avoid 46, 3, 80, 280, etc. when things weren't clear out because of bad weather or traffic hangups/construction, etc.
I used to always advise my friends to get a bus ticket upon arriving at the PABT and put it somewhere separate from their cash that was safe and hidden, but on their body. That way if they got their purse snatched or coat taken or had their money taken (as my one friend did in Central Park), you always have the ticket to get you home. Of course that was in the 80's, but it's good to be prepared, as us former Scouts say!
Enjoy NYC! I want to see how the restoration of Cleopatra's Needle looks from right next to it. It was already looking bad in the 80's and it wasn't until the Egyptian Government threatened to take it back that they finally restored it.
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