DeCamp's Woes Capped by Accident, Normal Service Seen Next Week (Updated)

"We are handling communications as best we can through e-mails and telephone calls"

What exactly does that mean? By any chance, was there a follow-up question asking for particulars? I'd love to know what he meant by that, because as far as I know, DeCamp has had no communication whatsoever with the passengers. Perhaps "as best we can" means they're doing nothing at all?

Great laws where the people who pay for Bus Service can not be informed of interruptions because it could be called "Union Bashing"

Honestly, i hope ridership goes way down and the company goes under, so those the worker morons and their Union Thug bosses(collecting dues) have no more jobs.

Its despicable what is happening!

Earlier in the week at the end of the 33 line, there were nearly 30 people at the Four Corners stop. If I was at NJTransit, I'd be scoping out the routes and run a few extra buses to cut into DeCamp's line. At the end of the lines they'd probably only have to make 2 or 3 stops to get a full bus.

Fortunately around here, there are plenty of options for others willing to sacrifice a bit in order get into the city, whether driving to a NJ Transit line or taking the train. Without a car, I'm kind of stuck hoping DeCamp works out things soon or I'll have to walk an extra ways out to Rt3.

Threats of a strike happened a bit further west with Lakeland (another small private bus company that operates Gates 401-405) about a year or two ago. Fortunately, a strike never happened after a couple of tense weeks, and there was never a "Work Slowdown." But the situation would have been way worse given impractical train schedules and truly no competing bus line.

Gary Pard has got to be the worst COO I've ever come across. It's as if he got his degree from the back of a comic book. It would be funny if it weren't so despicable.

For the life of me, I don't understand why another bus company, NJT or whatever, hasn't come along as a competitor. A little competition would give them the kick in the bus that they need. That is how capitalism works. If NJT isn't interested then why hasn't another bus company stepped up?

I was waiting at the light on Bloomfield and Ridgewood in GR at about 8:30 when, all at once, the 15-20 people waiting for the bus jumped up and scurried towards the train station. I'm guessing they had been waiting a long time for the bus and the sound of the train horn got them moving to the station.

"Because of NLRB regulations it would be considered unethical to post an 'ALERT', it could be considered Union bashing."

Wink, wink, nod, nod. I do hope they settle it, though. I am scheduled to attend a class in mid-town next week. Maybe I will take the train. Where is the best place to park if you don't have one of the permits? I live in Bloomfield, but I am closer to Upper Montclair station. Thanks!

Don't forget this Sunday--Train service will be available...

DRIVERS LISTEN UP: making your customers late for work in this fragile economy is IDIOTIC. You have not engendered one lick of support. Yes, DeCamp is poorly run and while laying off drivers with seniority (if true) is horrifying, if not actionable - taking your gripes out on the people who basically provide your living is UNBELIEVABLY STUPID. If this continues, we will abandon you as you have abandoned us every morning we are kept waiting at the curb. And Gary Pard: do you have an email address where we can write to you? I think your customers need to be able to contact your directly. Man up and face what is wrong with your company so you have a chance of survival. The second NJ Transit takes over your routes I will celebrate.

Park at the Bloomfield station, Conan. They have all-day meters. Just bring plenty of quarters.

That's an awfully long way to go for a knitting class, though.

If you don't have a car - get a cheapo bicycle to NJ Transit. There are options for alternate public transportation.

Conan, take the 72 NJ Transit bus to Penn Station Newark. You can catch the PATH train or another NJT bus to NYC.

Yes, I think that email address is just for show. I don't think he has the bandwidth to handle all the complaints he must receive.

Also, in a perfect universe, DeCramp would have alerts and updates on its own web site--a novel idea! But, like Puss said, don't hold your breath.

"we took a car to Clifton and took NJ Transit bus"

I have been doing that for 4 years even though the bus stops on my street.

right. let's put DeCamp out of business.That way, we'll be completely dependent on NJT. Unions there, too. ever heardof strikes? and don't you read about train probs on this site? finally, we'll take a Township taxpayer off the property tax rolls.

I stood over the pan with two eggs and a sausage, arranged inevitably as a face, and by oscillating the sausage forward and back with a spatula I was able to simulate both muses of drama: dramatis personae for breakfast.

I was late for the bus, the stop a mere quarter-mile away, perhaps for musing on the imagined dramatic nature of my breakfast, perhaps for faulty neural wiring—perhaps for any reason at all—and sprinting up Inwood Avenue with my satchel in my arms—so as to avoid its nature when over my shoulder to flail and jostle at high running speeds—I anticipated the image of my bus flying by on Valley Road, perpendiculaire à moi, racing into the city. Mais non; I rounded the corner onto Valley to an entirely different sight.

More curious than the low-speed collision of a Decamp Rt. 66 commuter bus with an elderly woman, at the crosswalk of Lorraine and Valley Road, was the event’s social aftermath. I stood apart as each category of person present—the participant, the witness, the bystander, the passerby—formulated their reaction to the near-tragedy. For you see, the woman seemed to be just fine. And where a horrific event would dampen these people’s reactions, and demand a solemn approach to interaction between parties, or at least impose a brief period of quiet reverence, we experienced instead a rousing bout of what the hell just happened?

Female Bus Passenger: I was sitting near the front of the bus and I didn't see her at all. She must have just darted out in front of the bus!

Male Passerby: I'm not so sure that's true. I saw her approaching the crosswalk from Lorraine, walking at normal speed.

I panned my gaze across the crowd that had gathered. A woman next to me stood anxiously. I observed her lip quiver slightly as she formulated how she might enter the conversation.

"So the bus driver just didn't see her?" she offered weakly. The crowd ignored her and returned to the matter at hand: the poor injured woman lying on the street being treated by paramedics and waiting to be transported to an ambulance parked a few meters away.

Male Bus Passenger: She's talking but she ain't moving!

Disturbed murmurs propagated the crowd. As if a woman in such a condition would be throwing her arms around to indicate her well-being. As if we were the interested party, and not her. For us, she was indeed merely the object of our attention.

I became bored and walked across the street where I knew there to be a Gap Store. The bus would be stopped indefinitely, entirely blocking the intersection, and the ambulance would as well—the woman seemed to be complaining of a hurt neck, and the paramedics weren't taking any chances by neglecting to attach a brace.

I nearly bought a denim jacket and a red and black plaid shirt, but, aware that the others knew I would be a passenger, it seemed uncouth to walk back over with a mid-priced chain-retail paper shopping bag.

I mapped the course of information in my mind from the moments before the impact, as witnesses saw the woman approach the intersection through to the impact, to months from now when the potential lawsuit could be executed. How in minutes since the collision occurred, even the most proximal witness's memory would be decayed by time and distorted by interaction with others at the scene, and probably useless as evidence—yet, she would likely play an important part at any trial hearing. I thought of the camera on the front of the bus, and how its replayed images would likely differ entirely from every story told today. But how, despite the facts as carried by a reliable film account, a reliance on stirring human accounts of, "he saw her coming!" would carry the weight in the people's minds.

The next bus arrived, and those who had paid to be on the previous one were loaded first. I followed as the first new passenger among several, all of us aware of the distance we faced between ourselves and those who were on the bus at the point of its collision with the woman. We sat among them, but we were not of them.

Our commute recommenced.

that was terrific, eckm.

eckm, nice piece. maybe you could write for the barista's.

Good idea, just stay clear of the growing "ad as news" division or you'll be waist deep in press releases and writing articles on 21% sales or the local purveyors of Vegimite.

thanks.. I was going to try to submit it as more than a comment but I couldn't figure out if that was possible.