Survey: Feedback Wanted To Restore Sparta Bus Service To NYC

SPARTA, NJ — Mayor Christine Quinn said the Township of Sparta is seeking the public’s input from commuters who had used the Lakeland Bus from Sparta to travel to New York City, before COVID-19 hit.

Quinn told Patch on Friday that the service was suspended from the three stops in the township that had been in regular use before the pandemic, in Lake Mohawk, at the Municipal Building and at the Park and Ride off of Route 181.

She was alerted by a resident about the service suspension, who had previously used the bus before they started working remotely during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The resident, Quinn said, has recently returned to working in the city, only to discover the former bus routes - in place in Sparta Township for years - were discontinued.

The resident was told one of the closest stops the bus line still has that remains in Sussex County, is in Newton. That location at Newton's Park and Ride, behind ShopRite and Weis Markets, is approximately 13 miles west of the Sparta Park and Ride near Route 181, tacking on extra time and miles heading west and away from Manhattan.

Quinn, in turn reached out to Lakeland Bus Line after hearing from the resident and spoke with a company representative, she said, learning from him that during the pandemic, the number of bus passengers in Sparta had declined significantly from what it had been in pre-pandemic times.

The bus line would like to start service again in Sparta if it's needed.

“This has become a big deal,” Quinn said for many residents, who have now been expected to report to work onsite in Manhattan with many pandemic restrictions now lifted; and don’t have the convenience anymore of the longtime Lakeland Bus stops within Sparta Township.

The direct link to the survey is: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=KJ3BKWpgE0etS_gM7S1SnUYWNn-TSkNCs_jjjgw2PcJUOElURzRVR0JQRzRGSzI4STdNS01WRFcyWS4u.

The survey can be accessed on the township’s website homepage until Aug. 8 at www.spartanj.org.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.