Is it possible to take the train for part of your journey? 2xs a weeks isn't so bad but with traffic my commute by bus which would have been a 30min drive in off hours within north jersey frequently became 1hr plus during busy hours. I don't want to discourage you but I'd advise against the taking the bus all the way up if a train is at all available even if it's gonna require an extra transfer. Train is fewer stops and not subject to traffic delays although delays will happen at times.

What city are you starting from?

I use the NJ Transit mobile app, give u a very accurate ETA, and u can buy tickets thru the app itself. Saved me many hours of travelling from Jersey

Yeah, I have to completely agree with this. My boyfriend lived up in Nutley (right outside of NYC) and would take the train from Newark to Trenton, then get the bus from Trenton to Burlington every weekend. It was (at worst) about a 2 hour commute total for him (about 75 miles, total). It would probably be a nightmare using a bus and not a train to travel into NYC with the traffic. His mother worked in NYC and drove her car to work from Nutley, N.J. - he told me that some days it would actually take her THREE HOURS to get to work in one direction because of traffic, etc. and how miserable it would make her. You can't rely upon a bus getting you into the city like you can a train. It's much easier, dependable and far less stressful than being stuck in NYC traffic in a bus.

What part of the shore and where in Manhattan? Is the ferry an option?

https://seastreak.com/ferry-routes-and-schedules/between-new-jersey-and-new-york-city/

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It’s not a realistic commute. I live 12 miles from Manhattan and the commute is a living hell. You will likely spend 5 hours or more a day in frustrating, painfully slow traffic from where you are. If there is an accident or something you can spend longer commuting than working. Don’t kid yourself. It isn’t worth it.

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It’s possible, definitely 2 hours+ in waiting. My In law takes the bus every couple of weeks, randomly it won’t be the same schedule/leave her at a diff stop; not sure how dependable the buses are

Oof. It's going to be 2-3 hours each way. We lived much closer to NYC than you and it was 2+ hours each way. From Toms River?

Your best bet then is prob to drive the parkway up to the Metro Park station and then take the train into the city. Won't save you any time, still looking at like a 3 hour commute, but you don't have to deal with the stress of tunnel traffic or the cost of city parking.

Why drive to Metro Park instead of one of the NJCL stations? Toms River to Bay Head or Point Pleasant should be less than 20 miles for a midtown direct train.

There are ferries from Belford to the ferry terminal on W 39th street just above the Lincoln Tunnel. NY Waterway runs busses from there around midtown. I'm not 100% sure, but Seastreak is taking over that ferry route next month, it looks like it still will go to 39th street, but not sure if you'd be able to utilize the busses since it will be operated by Seastreak instead of NY Waterway.

This is the schedule they will be running: https://seastreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Master-Schedule-Pricing.pdf

Broadway uptown (like Times Sq area) or Broadway downtown (like near the Wall St. bull statue)?

SeaStreak is definitely the best way to get from Jersey Shore to Manhattan. It's expensive compared to NJ Transit but you can do the math and see if it's worth it to you.

Still looking at a 30-45 min drive to one of those stations. Add in the fact only a handful of those trains go straight to NY and the rest require a transfer in Long Branch leaving you with less flexibility. Plus the trains on the diesel section on the line aren't very fast because diesels don't accelerate as quickly as electric. So the actual commute time works out to be pretty much equal. Personally I'd prefer the greater flexibility in train schedules out of Metro Park rather than save some drive time going out of bay head.

I took a job with a longer commute and let me tell you… it sucks commuting. I’m still glad I did it for other reasons, but think long and hard before you take on a 2-3 hour commute. You should be devising a plan to move if you’re dead set on working in NY. It might even be beneficial to get an apartment during the week to crash at with roommates in Hudson county or NY just to avoid the awful commute. Idk what your personal life is like and if you can make that work. Is this job remote at all?

Yes, this is doable! I know that bus (137). It goes from Toms River Bus Depot directly to Port Authority in 1 hour and 35 minutes. Very doable, very comfortable. So convenient since Port Authority is close to Broadway.

Why not take a day off and do a test run? Worst case you visit the city.

And the parking situation at the NJCL stations might be limited (e.g., only a handful of spots; limited to town residents, etc).

Where near the shore? I knw the train goes all the elway to Pt pmeasant, but not sure furthest point. Commute to Mnhattan is terrible and EXPENSIVE. I woked around the Waldorf commuting from New Brunswick, I woukd onlybdo it if I am making upper 6 figures, 180k+ less than that is just a total waste

Even the train, it is pain in the balls, crowded and too many are doing support over the phone with no considerations to other passengers, no way

The 137/319 is very reliable, and usually doesn’t have delays in the morning due to its use of the exclusive bus lane through the Lincoln Tunnel. Travel time on the express from Toms River P&R is about 1h35m unless there’s a major accident before the tunnel. Frequency in the morning is every half hour. From there, it’s pretty easy to get to the subway. The Rt 549 service provides some extra local service in case you can’t get to the P&R, in return for being a bit longer. Coming back, you may have a bit of tunnel traffic, but it still takes about the same time.

The train is really not necessary or even faster from Toms River once you factor in transfers from the bus; the ferry is nice, but you really need a car to get to the ferry terminal (and it’s $$).

Bus tips: If you’ll be going in 2x/wk (four one-ways/wk), definitely consider the 10-trip bundle or 20-trip “flex” bundle to save money. 10 trips (~15% off) are valid for 20 days from purchase date, 20 trip flex pass (20% off) are good for 30 days from purchase date. The number of zones will depend on where in Toms River you are boarding.

Honestly, even if you had a car, the bus is likely still a bunch cheaper. You can absolutely bring a scooter or bike on the bus, just ask the driver and they’ll put it under for you. If a kick scooter enables you to take the expresses from the P&R, it’s well worth it for the flexibility; I know TR is pretty large.

If you haven’t taken NJT buses before, you should know that they usually operate by request stop, meaning you need to hail the one you want as it approaches by waving. Tickets/passes can be bought on the official NJT app ahead of time, but you need to board with a just-activated ticket which you show the driver (and maybe scan, if it has one of those QR readers). Tell them it’s your first time and where you’re going (like “New York” or “Toms River, Ocean County Mall”) to confirm it’s the right bus.

When returning, you can confirm the correct gate in Port Authority Bus Terminal by looking at the schedule or using the MyTerminal app (because that building is run by Port Authority). Be sure you’re getting on the correct bus that goes to your destination and plan extra time for PABT. When riding, it’s really helpful to have a transit app of some kind to track where you are, especially if it’s dark out or for your first few rides. I suggest Citymapper or Transit (green squiggly N app icon) since they have live bus updates, and Google Maps as a backup or for finding a good stop for you (only has bus schedules). The official NJT app also has a live map if you go in through MyBus, but it’s a little clunky. After you pass the stop before yours, push the red stop button above you.

That should be about it; let me know if you have any questions, even basic ones, it’s all good.

I have commuted from new brunswick to Waldorf area, two hours each way and and and snacks and food arw going to kill you, remember food prices went up

You live in the Inner core of this region so its worse then say if a person lives on the edge of Central Jersey or PA...most buses in these areas make a few stops and then express...they also get use HOV lanes or bus lanes...so that reduces the commute stress... The one downside to this route is in the summer it gets very crowded with beach goers..

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I’d drive to the nearest large station with a lot and take the train. If your job is in downtown then a ferry from holmdel.

Work with someone who lives by Trenton and they take one of the NEC trains before COVID twice a week.

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You may want to take the train. Drive to long branch so you don’t have have to switch trains or all the way to metro park and your train ride will be even shorter.

I live in Brick and work in the city and take the 137. It’s not to bad of a trip it’s usually like an hour and a half. Less on Friday’s when there’s no traffic. The train from down here is horrendous it takes forever.

If it's feasible, you can drive up to one of the rest areas and get an academy bus into port authority.

https://content.njtransit.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/maps/NJTRailSystemMap-Aug2022.pdf

look at the blue one - North Jersey Coast Line

Do you drive? I live in Hackensack and take the express bus to Port Authority. Then subway. Never more than an hour door to door.