Hampton Jitney

Hampton Jitney

Hampton Jitney Prevost #101 lays over on 86 Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
Slogan Ride the legend.
Founded 1974
Headquarters 395 County Road 39A, Southampton, NY 11968
Locale Eastern Suffolk County
Service area North and South Forks
Service type Line run, contract service
Alliance International Motor Coach Group
Routes 6 operated by Hampton Jitney
5 operated by Twin Forks Transit as Suffolk County Transit
Fleet 49 for line runs
36 for contract operations
Chief executive Geoffrey Lynch
Website Hampton Jitney

Hampton Jitney is a for-profit bus company based in Southampton, NY, operating three primary routes from the east end of Long Island (The Hamptons and the North Fork) to New York City, as well as charter services, along with local transit bus service in eastern Suffolk County under contract with Twin Forks Transit which runs the routes under contract with Suffolk County Transit.

History

Hampton Jitney was founded in 1974 with a single van by James Davidson, a former advertising art director, who lived in the Hamptons and wanted to establish a convenient means for traveling in the Hamptons, especially for those without a driver's license.[1][2]

Initially the company used vans instead of buses, operating on the theory of a share taxi service among the little communities of The Hamptons. The company has retained a name which no longer describes its main service and fleet.

The founder saw a need for a new transit option for people travelling between New York City and the popular Hamptons region of Long Island. The area has long been served by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), but by the 1970s poor track conditions on its Montauk Branch resulted in lengthy trip times and delayed trains. Rebuilding the Montauk Branch in 1978 and 1979 resulted in quicker and more reliable trips, but the non-electrified single track line limited train frequency. The LIRR does maintain a number of passing sidings along the Montauk Branch that would allow more frequent service. By the late 1970s Hampton Jitney acquired a fleet of coaches. In the 1980s Hampton Jitney services had expanded to the point where the company runs roughly hourly service year round on its Montauk Line and service between 2 and 3 hours on its Westhampton, and North Fork line. The company also started a charter service during this time.

Later developments

In 2006 Hampton Jitney acquired the line run and charter business from Sunrise Coach Lines, based in Greenport, LI. This gave Hampton Jitney its third line, The North Fork Line. In 2007 the Jitney (as it is often called) started a direct service to and from Brooklyn on its Montauk and North Fork lines. In 2008 a direct service to and from lower Manhattan was started on its Montauk line. Sunrise Coach lines continues to operate as a provider of School Bus routes and operator for the 8A, 10D, 10E, and S92 routes for Suffolk County Transit, as well as operations of the 10A, 10B, 10C, and S94 lines under its own banner. Hampton Jitney's base of operations and its depot are in Southampton, a new depot including a park and ride lot has been under construction in Calverton, and will open in 2015. [3]

Effective with the 2nd round of MTA budget cuts on October, 11, 2010, the Hampton Jitney became the only year round transportation provider between points in New York City, and the towns between Riverhead, and Orient on weekends and major holidays.[4]

Routes

Hampton Jitney operates three primary routes. All buses begin at 86th Street and make various pickup stops along Lexington Avenue and inbound trips drop off along Third Avenue, unless otherwise noted.

Long Island

Primary routes

Special services

Boston Jitney

The Boston Jitney is a service that runs between Southampton and the Prudential Center in Downtown Boston. The bus stops in Southampton, Hampton Bays, Farmingville, and Port Jefferson before taking the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry to Bridgeport, CT. From the Bridgeport ferry terminal it runs express to Boston. In Boston, it stops at an MBTA station in the nearby suburb of Newton before terminating in Downtown Boston. There were 13 buses scheduled to operate along the Boston route in 2013.

Services

Hampton Jitney buses (not counting the Suffolk Transit-branded buses) require reservations, and limit the use of cell phones. The company provides refreshment service on all buses. Seasonal services are also offered to Boston and Florida. Most fares are approximately double the usual (off-peak) rail fares. The trip via the Jitney is often quicker by an hour or more, when road congestion is not severe. A prepaid, discounted 12 trip coupon book, called a "Valuepack" is offered and brings the Jitney fares closer to the peak train fare on the South Fork lines, and competitive with train fares at all times on its North Fork line. Most buses finish in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, but some also go to Upper West Side and some only go to Lower Manhattan or Downtown Brooklyn.

Hampton Jitney's charter service include one day trips to Broadway Shows, Giant and Jets games at Giants Stadium, and regional events such as the annual Philadelphia Flower Show. Multiple day trips are also scheduled to points such as Atlantic City, and New England. Civic and Charitable Organizations within the 5 towns of Long Island's east end charter Hampton Jitney busses for special trips to New York City as fundraisers for these groups. Due to the very limited profile maintained by the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) on the east end, it is rare, if ever, that the LIRR is called upon for extra services such as these.

References

  1. Obser, Jeffrey (1999-10-07). "The Hampton Jitney Turns 25". East Hampton Star. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  2. Clemente, T.J. (2008-05-23). "Hampton Tradition XXXVIII - Hampton Jitney". Dan's Papers. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  3. Gannon, Tim (2012-11-24). "Green light for Hampton Jitney terminal in Calverton | Riverhead News Review". Riverheadnewsreview.timesreview.com. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
  4. Archived November 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.

Sources

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/15/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.