Photo courtesy of Office of Marketing & Communications, Ramapo College of New Jersey
On Jan. 21, Ramapo launched the Ramapo Roadrunner Express, a free shuttle service from its Mahwah campus to Paramus, linking students to NJ Transit bus links at the Garden State Plaza. In just over one month, the Ramapo Roadrunner Express has provided transportation to hundreds of students.
On Wednesday, the 500th shuttle rider, freshman Javier Martino, was surprised with a $50 gift card to the store of his choice at Garden State Plaza. The gift card was presented by the mascot Rocky and Eddie Seavers, associate director of the Center for Student Involvement and coordinator of the Student Center.
The Ramapo Roadrunner Express is the first-ever direct public transit link in the College’s 50-year history, providing a direct link to buses that travel to the Westfield Garden State Plaza from many areas. This includes in Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties. The free shuttle service also stops at Bergen Community College.
The Ramapo Roadrunner Express runs five round trips daily, Monday through Friday, leaving directly from the College’s Bradley Center. It offers double the rider capacity to Garden State Plaza than previous college shuttles. According to Seavers, the Ramapo Roadrunner Express transports an average of 96 riders each week.
Chairwoman of the Bergen County Freeholders Mary Amoroso and Assemblyman Gordon Johnson attended the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Ramapo Roadrunner Express on Jan. 21. President Mercer acknowledged that Johnson was instrumental in sponsoring the budget resolution in the State for the shuttle funding.
In a press release about the shuttle, President Mercer said, “This new direct transit link to our campus is sure to enhance regional educational opportunities and be of mutual benefit to the State’s economy, the College, our staff, students and their families, who not only rely on mass transit but are entitled, as residents of New Jersey, to have reliable and affordable transportation access to all of its state colleges and universities.”
In the same press release, Assemblyman Gordon Johnson of the 37th Legislative District said, “Ramapo College was always that secret place in Bergen County that had a beautiful campus in the foothills of the Ramapo Mountains. But if you didn’t have a car, you couldn’t get here. This shuttle will now allow students from all over to have access to quality education. Linking this campus to one of the busiest NJ Transit stops at the Garden State Plaza is so important.”
More information about shuttle times for the Ramapo Roadrunner Express can be found at ramapo.edu/about/gsp-shuttle/.
kbongard@ramapo.edu
