Letters

What happened to the Hampton Jitney?

They are celebrating a 50th anniversary this year, but I remember when they first came on the scene. The Hampton Jitney was a wonderful way to travel into and from the city. The buses were high-end, clean, very comfortable, and the travel schedules/times were great. There were newspapers as well as orange juice/coffee/water/snacks available to all the riders.

The price tag for a ticket was much higher than the train, but it was a such a nice ride, and so convenient — it was worth paying more.

Now, the Westhampton Beach stop is located at the train station, which is very isolated after dark. The 7 p.m. bus from the city gets in at 9:05 p.m., and the next bus leaves the city at 10, which arrives in Westhampton Beach close to midnight. If you want to have dinner in the city, it will have to be a very early one or a very late one.

In Manorville, the Hampton Jitney picks up in a restaurant parking lot, and I was specifically told that you can’t park there or you will get towed. A few places that the Jitney allows for parking are in Calverton and Southampton, but that’s a trek from the Westhampton Beach area. In addition, I have read some critical reviews from Jitney riders. What happened?

New York City is planning a congestion toll on certain rides into the city [“New York City Congestion Pricing Could Lead to Hike in Fares for Hampton Jitney Riders,” 27east.com, March 6], so the Hampton Jitney, in a recent letter from the president, has told its riders that this will affect their ticket prices. I assume, higher.

The Jitney president also asked the riders to reach out to the tolling program so that the Jitney can get a toll exemption, because “even though we do not have a municipal contract for our services, we serve a vital role for hundreds of thousands of commuters traveling between NYC and the East End of Long Island.” That is a lot to ask of its riders.

We need the Jitney to invest in itself and make it worth our while to pay $40 to $60 each way into the city. The original Hampton Jitney got it right. The Jitney today is a mere shadow of its original self.

Mary Pellicane

Remsenburg