Boxcar Launches a New Glen Ridge & Montclair Commuter Bus to Manhattan: What Riders Should Know

Private commuter carrier Boxcar launched the Gaslamp Branch of its Essex Express service on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, giving Glen Ridge and Montclair's Grove Street corridor a direct bus to Midtown Manhattan for the first time since DeCamp suspended service. The route was built to keep commuters moving while NJ Transit diverts Midtown Direct trains to Hoboken during the Portal North Bridge cutover, which runs October 11 to November 14, and while the Port Authority Bus Terminal is rebuilt. Here is how the route works, what it costs, and what it means for the commute math buyers weigh.

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Why the route launched now

The timing is no accident. From October 11 through November 14, NJ Transit and Amtrak are shifting the last tracks off the old Portal Bridge, and weekday Midtown Direct trains on the Montclair-Boonton, Morris & Essex, and Gladstone lines terminate at Hoboken instead of Penn Station. On top of that, the roughly $11 billion replacement of the Port Authority Bus Terminal is ramping up construction, with ramp changes underway from mid-October. Boxcar says the new route gives commuters a direct alternative through both disruptions, and it was developed from a survey of more than 450 riders.

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How the Gaslamp Branch works

Morning buses start at Ridgewood & Linden and the Glen Ridge Post Office on Ridgewood Avenue, stop at Bay Street in Montclair, then run up Grove Street serving Walnut, Chestnut, Dodd, Watchung, Mount Vernon, Bellevue, Inwood, and Alexander avenues before heading to Route 3 and the Lincoln Tunnel. In Manhattan, buses drop at Port Authority, Bryant Park, and Madison Avenue at 43rd, 47th, 52nd, and 57th streets. Evening buses pick up southbound on Lexington Avenue and across 42nd Street.

Three new morning buses run on the route, with times like a 6:05 AM pickup at the Glen Ridge Post Office arriving at Port Authority around 6:53, and a 7:12 AM bus arriving around 8:23, plus three new evening buses heading home. Fares use Boxcar's standard Essex Express pricing: about $18.99 per ride, or roughly $12.66 with a membership, with no student or senior discounts, and fuel surcharges have pushed some per-ride prices higher.

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What it means for commuters and buyers

• It is a real alternative during the cutover. For Montclair and Glen Ridge riders who normally count on a one-seat Midtown Direct ride, the bus is a direct option while trains divert to Hoboken through November 14. That matters for anyone whose commute went from simple to complicated overnight.
• It is a signal about transit resilience. A private carrier building a route around a regional construction project is a vote of confidence that the Essex County commute market is strong enough to support it. For buyers comparing towns, more commute options, even private ones, are a modest plus for quality of life.
• Watch the real-world delays. Boxcar's founder has said morning buses are already facing delays of at least 25 minutes from the terminal ramp construction plus an unrelated 42nd Street lane closure. New routes settle into a rhythm, but plan for the first few weeks to be slower than the schedule suggests.
• It does not replace the train. When the Portal Bridge cutover ends November 15, regular Midtown Direct service is expected to return. The bus is best read as an option during the disruption and, longer term, a test of demand for a Grove Street corridor express.

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The bottom line

Boxcar's Gaslamp Branch gives Glen Ridge and Montclair a direct private bus to Midtown at a moment when the rail and bus networks are both disrupted by major construction. It is not a replacement for the train, and early rides are running slow, but it is a genuinely useful option for the five-week Portal Bridge window and a sign that Essex County's commuter market keeps attracting new investment. For buyers weighing the commute from Montclair or Glen Ridge, it is one more data point in a town's favor.

If you are comparing Essex County towns on commute and lifestyle, I am happy to talk through what each town offers. No pressure, just honest local guidance.