Railing against the train

Sarah and I travel to New Brunswick, New Jersey, every weekend, for church. We don't own a car, so our variegated options cut a wide swath across the price spectrum. The cheapest options are not necessarily available every week, and they may not be the quickest. Here are the various ways to get out of the city if you don't own a car, along with the price of each trip per person:

• Option 1: Take two subway lines from our NoLIta apartment to the Port Authority on 42nd Street ($2.00). Take a Coach USA bus to New Brunswick ($8.35 one-way).
• Option 2: Take two subway lines to Penn Station on 33rd Street ($2.00). Take the New Jersey Transit rail service down the Northeast Corridor line to New Brunswick ($10.50 one-way).
• Option 3: Take one subway line to West 4th Street ($2.00). Walk five blocks to the PATH rail station on 9th Street (free). Take the PATH to Grove Street in Jersey City ($1.50). Get picked up by one of our Jersey City friends and driven to New Brunswick (free).

From a financial standpoint, it's obvious we should choose option 3. But we almost never do, because I often have to be in New Brunswick very early on Sunday morning (as early as 8:00 AM), and our friends aren't exactly clamoring to do the same. As often as possible, however, we do take advantage of their generosity on the way back to the city.

Unfortunately, option 1 isn't a viable choice for the early-morning commute either, because the first Coach bus doesn't leave New York until 8:00 AM on Sunday. That leaves the train, by far the worst option due to the higher fare, longer travel time due to constant stopping at various stations, and general lack of comfort.

So we're always finding ways around having to sacrifice an arm and a leg for New Jersey Transit. For example, instead of leaving on Sunday morning, we travel to New Jersey on Saturday evening and stay with friends overnight, taking advantage of the bus. Our travel plans are seldom consistent from week to week, and most of the time, we rely on the good graces of our good friends. But I find myself wishing for a better solution, especially since our options put us in situations in which we have very little control. While on the bus, I've experienced mechanical problems (we had to switch buses on the NJ Turnpike), accidents (the driver chased down the truck who hit us), and traffic delays. The train gets delayed more often than not. The PATH only runs about once every 20 minutes on weekends, so if we miss one, it's a long wait for the next one.

And this, among other reasons, is why we're moving to Jersey City.