Academy Bus Won't Hike Fares Following Toll Increases

Shore area commuters who make the trek to New York City for work on an Academy bus won't have to deal with a fare hike in the wake of a toll increase at Hudson River crossings, the company said Tuesday.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey toll hike, which became effective Monday, increased the toll cost for bus operators such as Academy by 150 percent, from $4 to $10, according to Brian Dickerson, a company spokesman. The controversial toll hike, which raises prices to cross the Hudson River at the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, will help fund, among other projects, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan.

"Academy will continue to study ways to save money without disruption to service, and we have decided to absorb the immediate impact of the increase ourselves," Academy said in a letter to customers Tuesday. "We understand the impact of toll hikes to consumers in this economy and we chose not to pass this burden on to you."

Academy operates buses from the Shore area to Manhattan each weekday morning. The service recently began making stops on Union Avenue and Center Street in Lakehurst and on Ridgeway Boulevard in Manchester. 

Other local bus stops are in Forked River, Toms River, Brick, Point Pleasant Borough, Howell, Manasquan, Sea Girt, Spring Lake, Belmar, Avon-by-the-Sea and Bradley Beach, as well as at the Monmouth Service Area rest stop on the Garden State Parkway in Wall.

Last week, New Jersey Transit announced that it would also absorb the Port Authority's toll increase, and would keep commuter fares stable.