Station Review #31: Lakewood Bus Terminal (NJT)


Lakewood Bus Terminal is a bus station in Lakewood Township, Ocean County, New Jersey. Lakewood Bus Terminal is a regional center for buses in Ocean and Monmouth counties, signifying the importance of Lakewood itself in terms of regional transportation in the process.

Services Provided

Bus

Multiple buses stop or end at Lakewood Bus Terminal:

NJT:

• 63: Lakewood Bus Terminal to Weehawken
• 64: Lakewood Bus Terminal to Weehawken or Journal Square
• 67: Journal Square Transit Center/Newark Penn Station to Toms River Park and Ride 
• 130, 132, 136, 139: Port Authority Bus Terminal to Lakewood Bus Terminal. Note: all of these are basically the same route with different stop patterns
• 137: Express: Port Authority Bus Terminal to Lakewood Bus Terminal
• 317: Center City Philadelphia to Asbury Park via Lakewood Bus Terminal
• 559: Lakewood Bus Terminal to Atlantic City Bus Terminal 

Other: 

Ocean Ride Route #4: Point Pleasant Beach to Lakewood Bus Terminal

Rte#9: Lower Manhattan/Downtown to Lakewood Bus Terminal 

Tour

The Terminal from far away

Lakewood Terminal is depressingly plain. There are 3-4 bus berths, much like many other transit centers. 

Actually, if anything, Lakewood Bus Terminal reminds me of a Greyhound bus station. 

Lonely TV Up Front

There are two rooms. One room has a few chairs, and a help desk (the man at the helpdesk is bilingual, so bonus points there!). This room also has a television with schedules for the buses that pass through, and a door that leads to the main waiting room. 

Main waiting room

Unfortunately for everyone who would use this main waiting room, it's locked. You can't go in, and I don't know if that's due to schedule conflicts or if passengers aren't allowed there anymore. 

Parking lot for a park-and-ride

There is a parking lot behind the bus station for a park-and-ride. No, your eyes are not decieving you. A parking lot for a bus park-and-ride. 

Asphalt

Besides all of this, there's not much else at Lakewood Bus Terminal. Much of the station property is asphalt.

Amenity Checklist

Accessible: ✓
Bathrooms for employees: ✓
Bus Departure/Arrival Info (signs that update/screens): ✓
Clean Station: ✓
Easy to get around: ✓
Indoor Shelters: ✓
Maps: ✓
Multiple entrances/exits: ✓
Near places people are: ✓
Paper Timetables: ✓
Schedule Boards: ✓
Seating: ✓
Shelters: ✓
Station In Good Condition: ✓
Something related to fares: ×
Ticket Offices: ✓
TOD: ×
Updated Signage: ✓

Final Verdict: 5.5/10

This terminal is not a very good place to spend a while, but it does the job. 

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