COMMUTER AND TRANSIT BUS PRIVATE CARRIER RELIEF AND JOBS PROGRAM – PHASE 2

The application for Phase 2 is now closed. For more information, please contact busrelief@njeda.gov.

The second phase of the Commuter and Transit Bus Private Carrier Relief and Jobs Program will help commuter and transit bus transportation companies alleviate continued revenue loss resultant from the effects of this new normal economy and the new realities of remote work. Helping the state’s private carrier industry will both benefit New Jerseyans who rely on the state’s commuter bus services as well as the residents employed by the private carrier companies.
To receive funding, applicants must meet all eligibility criteria described below. The eligibility criteria are non-discretionary and program funds will be allocated on a predefined formula to ensure the program can be efficiently administered.

PROGRAM DETAILS
ELIGIBILITY
FUNDING AMOUNTS
MORE INFO

PROGRAM DETAILS

The Commuter and Transit Bus Private Carrier Relief and Jobs Program will provide a one-time grant to eligible commuter and transit bus private carriers in New Jersey to help commuter and transit bus transportation companies alleviate continued revenue loss resultant from the effects of this new normal economy and the new realities of remote work. Helping the state’s private carrier industry will both benefit New Jerseyans who rely on the state’s commuter bus services as well as the residents employed by the private carrier companies.

The Program grants will address the loss that has not been addressed through any other funding sources. The unmet need is defined as 2022 New Jersey revenue losses (calculated as the difference between each applicant company’s 2022 revenues reported in New Jersey and 2019 revenues reported in New Jersey) less any other public or private relief funds that a company received for 2022.

ELIGIBILTY

To be eligible, an applicant must demonstrate the following in a manner acceptable to the Authority:

Have been in business prior to February 15, 2020;
Be a for-profit business (non-profits are excluded from the Program based on other required criteria); public agencies, authorities, or government entities are not eligible;
Be registered to do business in and operating in the state of New Jersey, as evidenced by a current New Jersey Tax Clearance Certificate;
Provide fixed route bus service (MB) or commuter bus (CB) service as defined in the Federal Transit Administration’s National Transit Database (NTD) Glossary. Other services, including but not limited to those provided by charter buses, school buses, municipal shuttles, vanpool, and on-demand bus services, are not eligible;
Have reported Vehicle Revenue Miles for fixed route bus service (MB) or commuter bus service (CB) greater than 0 in New Jersey directly to the NTD, as recorded in the current Annual Data Tables Service, or through NJ Transit as a private carrier;
Demonstrate systemic decrease in revenues (losses) in the state of New Jersey in 2022 due to the new realities in working habits (calculated as the difference between each applicant company’s 2022 NJ-generated revenues and 2019 NJ-generated revenues as reported in the respective NJ CBT-100 or CBT-100S tax returns, Schedule J) that has not been fully addressed by other public or private relief funding sources
Certify bus service, through peak vehicle requirements or notice of service changes, has not voluntarily reduced since 2021, from time of application, at milestone stages, and through the end of the grant compliance period.
Satisfy the Authority’s debarment/disqualification review and not have any defaults or outstanding obligations to the Authority; and
Be in good standing with the following sister agencies: New Jersey Department of Labor, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Division of Taxation, and New Jersey Transit.

Please be advised: New Jersey State law prohibits most cannabis license and certification holders from receiving or continuing to receive an economic incentive from the NJEDA. If the applicant, or any person who controls the applicant or owns or controls more than one percent of the stock of the applicant, has applied for or received a license or a certification from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC), the applicant is ineligible for this program and should not proceed with an application. If an application is received from an applicant that meets this criteria, the application will be declined and the application fee will not be refunded.

CONDITIONS OF FUNDING

Grant amounts will allocate funds based on each eligible applicant’s proportional share of the total eligible applicant’s vehicle revenue miles (VRM) in New Jersey for 2022. Any leftover funds would be reallocated proportionally based on VRM.

Total grant pool = $11,400,000

Applicant VRM = Vehicle Revenue Miles submitted to NTD for NJ in 2022

Total VRM = Sum of Vehicle Revenue Miles submitted to NTD for NJ in 2022 for all eligible applicants

Total base awards = Sum of base awards for all applicants

The maximum award will not exceed the applicant’s unmet need. For this Program, unmet need is defined as 2022 New Jersey revenue losses (calculated as the difference between each applicant company’s 2022 revenues reported in New Jersey and 2019 revenues reported in New Jersey), less any other public or private funds that a company received for 2022.

MORE INFORMATION

An additional funding for unmet need affidavit must be completed by all businesses that are applying for, been awarded and/or receiving any assistance funded by Commuter and Transit Bus Private Carrier Relief and Jobs Program being offered by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority(NJEDA). The information within this affidavit will provide the NJEDA with vital information for processing the application. You are an authorized Signor (Owner, CEO, or similar level of officer) for this entity. I hereby state and certify to the United States Federal Government and to NJEDA as follows:

The NJEDA believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion are inherent to creating a stronger and fairer New Jersey economy. The Program, outlined by the State legislature, has a tightly defined purpose targeted to provide support to private carrier companies. To support NJEDA’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, the application will include voluntary disclosures about applicant company demographic data and request a diversity, equity, and inclusion plan for their organization.

There is an ongoing commitment to sustain essential service providers, therefore Phase 2 of the Program will introduce a milestone-based disbursement process. As part of this approach, successful applicants will receive half of their awarded funds upon the completion and execution of the grant agreement.

The second disbursement of the remaining half of the award, will be contingent upon the outcome of the 2024 NJ Transit review of peak vehicle requirements, which will be available in Q3 2024. Approved applicants will only receive their final disbursement once NJ Transit confirms no variances in peak vehicle requirements. In the event of review of peak vehicle requirements is less than amount confirmed at time of application, or if there is a notice of decreased service, the awardee will forfeit the remaining reserved approved funds. This milestone-based disbursement strategy aims to streamline the allocation process and ensure that funding aligns with evolving service demands. In the event an awardee forfeits the remainder of their grant funds, the funds will be redistributed to the remaining eligible awardees and disbursed accordingly.

Applicants will have the right to appeal the Authority’s determination of eligibility and award amount. Appeals must be filed within the timeframe set in the declination letter (which must be at least 3 business days but no longer than 10 business days). Due to the proportional distribution of funds, all funds will be held from assignation until all appeals are resolved, after which funds will be disbursed. Permit the use by NJEDA of applicant, and information that is provided in the application and audit process, and that is not otherwise prohibited by law, for case studies and to support the development of future versions of this program, or future alternative programs.

The Program will use the definitions of the following terms quoted from the Federal Transit Administration in the NTD Glossary.

Federal Transit Administration (2021, December 22). National Transit Database (NTD) Glossary. United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 22, 2022 from https://www.transit.dot.gov/ntd/national-transit-database-ntd-glossary

What is a Fixed Route service?
- Services provided on a repetitive, fixed schedule basis along a specific route with vehicles stopping to pick up and deliver passengers to specific locations; each fixed route trip serves the same origins and destinations, such as rail and bus (MB); unlike demand responsive (DR) and vanpool (VP) services. Can be found in: A-10, A-20, S-10
- For the purposes of the Program, eligible applicants need to provide a fixed route service by bus (MB).
What is a Commuter Bus Service?
- Local fixed-route bus transportation primarily connecting outlying areas with a central city. Characterized by a motorcoach (aka over-the-road bus), multiple trip tickets, multiple stops in outlying areas, limited stops in the central city, and at least five miles of closed-door service.
What is a charter service?
- A vehicle hired for exclusive use that does not operate over a regular route, on a regular schedule and is not available to the general public.
What are the vehicle revenue miles?
- The miles that vehicles are scheduled to or actually travel while in revenue service.
- Vehicle revenue miles include:
  - Layover / recovery time.
  - Vehicle revenue miles exclude:
    - Deadhead;
    - Operator training;
    - Vehicle maintenance testing; and
    - Other non-revenue uses of vehicles
- For the purposes of the Program, Vehicle Revenue Miles reported to the NTD, as recorded in Annual Data Tables, in the most current Service data available for New Jersey, or through NJ Transit as their private carrier in the most current year, will be used as an eligibility criteria.
- For the purposes of the Program, eligible applicants need to provide a fixed route service by bus (MB); other transit modes are not eligible.

BOARD MEMORANDUM APPROVED FEBRUARY 7, 2024 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS

For more information or to ask a specific question please send an email to busrelief@njeda.gov and a team member will reach out to you.