981 Port Liberte-Grove Street - History

History

The origins of the 981 lie in the Central Avenue Bus Company, chartered in 1925. By 1938, it had become the Central Avenue Bus Owners Association, an independent bus owners association of former jitney operators. By 1977, the route continued south from Journal Square, near the south end of Central Avenue, to the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Communipaw Terminal. The route was eventually acquired by Red & Tan in Hudson County, a subsidiary of Coach USA, and operated between Port Liberté and Hague Street in Jersey City Heights via Journal Square and Central Avenue as the 231. Coach USA decided to cancel the route effective Friday, January 27, 2006, and New Jersey Transit began operating the 981 as a replacement service on Monday, January 30. Only the portion south from Journal Square to Port Liberté did not duplicate any existing routes; NJ Transit's 82, 83, 84, 86, 87, and 88 routes already served the general area between Jersey City Heights and Journal Square or downtown Jersey City. Additional trips were added to the 87, which includes about half of the 231's Central Avenue run, to make up for the loss; Central Avenue now sees no buses from Franklin Street north to Congress Street.