OurBus and Klein Transportation kick off bus service from Hellertown (and points west) to New York City on Monday, Feb. 11.
Following the cessation of Bieber Transportation Group’s regular commuter bus service from the Lehigh Valley to New York City, another regional bus service provider is stepping in to fill the void.
Douglassville, Berks County-based Klein Transportation, also known as Klein’s Bus Service, announced over the weekend that it will begin offering daily express bus service to New York with stops in Douglassville, Reading, Kutztown, Wescosville and Hellertown beginning Monday, Feb. 11, 2019.
The new routes are in partnership with OurBus, according to a Channel 69 news story, and reservations can be made on the OurBus website or via the OurBus app. Schedules are also available for viewing on the site and app.
According to OurBus.com, two morning buses will depart the Hellertown Park-n-Ride lot for New York on Monday, which is the first day of service; one leaving at 6 a.m. with an arrival time of 7:55 a.m. and the other leaving at 7:30 a.m. with an arrival time of 9:25 a.m. Return buses will leave New York for Hellertown at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Monday.
The destination point for the buses is 368 Park Avenue South in Manhattan, which is located between 26th and 27th streets, and is about two blocks from the nearest subway station at 28th Street. Departing buses will leave from in front of the New York Life building (across from Essen Deli) on Madison Avenue between 26th and 27th streets, according to OurBus.com.
One-way tickets are $17 each, although the company offers a membership discount plan, which costs $49 and which it advertises as providing riders with 10 rides at $15 off per ride. The discount plan is valid for 90 days. See the OurBus website for more information.
According to OurBus.com’s initial weekend timetable, two buses will depart Hellertown for New York this coming Saturday and Sunday; one at 9 a.m. and another at 4:45 p.m. (returns are at 11:45 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.). Those trips like the weekday trips should be 1 hour, 55 minutes in duration.
Some of the amenities found on OurBus buses, according to the company’s website, include reclining seats, free wifi, charging ports, free water and a “sanitized restroom.” Additionally, it says it does not charge customers a rescheduling fee.
The Klein Transportation website says the company is family-owned and has been providing bus services–including school busing–for more than 50 years.
“We are a charter bus company and a school bus operator,” it says. “We are members of the American Bus Association, a representative of USA bus companies, and the Pennsylvania Bus Association, a representative of PA bus companies.”
Bieber’s demise began last summer after it lost its ability to operate buses in and out of the Port Authority bus terminal, which is the main bus terminal in New York City. Financial problems were behind the eviction, and those same problems apparently led the Kutztown-based company to abruptly cease all service last week, leaving some groups–including local school groups–stranded at destinations when the company stopped operating. Channel 69 News reported that 100 members of the Easton Rovers Ski Club at Easton Area High School were stranded at Blue Mountain Ski Resort Friday when Bieber stopped operating Friday.
