NJ Transit relocates bus gates at Port Authority terminal

Many New Jersey bus commuters will come back from the long Labor Day weekend having to learn new locations for departure gates at the Port Authority terminal in New York.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says the change, which takes effect on Tuesday, is to reduce crowding and improve the flow of buses in-and-out of the terminal which opened in 1950 and serves 200,000 passengers daily.

Five hundred signs and posters around the terminal will direct riders of NJ Transit, Decamp, Lakeland and Coach USA  to their new gates. "Gate change ambassadors" will also be positioned around the terminal to help find your new gate.

About one-third of all bus passengers who use the  terminal will find their gates relocated. NJ Transit, which  has the most riders affected by the change, will find most of their gates moved to the terminal's third floor while Coach USA, which operates Community Coach, will relocate gates  to the fourth floor. Academy Bus gates remain in the same place and are not affected by this change

"This gate change is part of the Port Authority's Quality of Commute program, which is focused on helping ensure our bus carriers get their customers home on time," Port Authority Bus Terminal General Manager Diannae Ehler said in a statement. "The consolidation of NJ Transit's operations and Coach USA's operations will empower those carriers to better manage their bus logistics within the terminal, and build on our previous successes in helping buses arrive and leave on time."

The gate reassignment is part of the $90 million quality of commute initiative, which the Port Authority's board approved in 2014. Already new bathrooms have been built on the 2nd floor, according to the Port Authority, with new retail space being made available and wi-fi service.