# The Five Minivans Trying to Make South Jersey More Accessible 2026-11-06 · New Jersey · Reported Feature A new free, on-demand service is testing whether public transportation can follow the trips people need to make, even across county lines. A new free, on-demand service is testing whether public transportation can follow the trips people need to make, even across county lines. --- County lines matter to governments. They matter considerably less to someone trying to get to a doctor, pick up groceries or spend an afternoon with a friend. For a driver, crossing from Camden County into Gloucester County may be an unremarkable part of the trip. For someone who relies on public or county transportation, it can mean a new set of routes, service areas and arrangements. A destination does not become less important simply because it sits on the other side of an administrative boundary. New Jersey has put five minivans on the road to test a different approach. Introduced October 28, CG Hopper is a free, on-demand, shared-ride service for residents ages 60 and older and people with disabilities in Camden and Gloucester counties. The 18-month pilot is a partnership among NJ TRANSIT, the two counties and Senior Citizens United Community Services (SCUCS), with transportation technology company Via operating the service. A ride that starts with the passenger Rather than requiring every trip to fit a fixed bus route, CG Hopper lets eligible riders request transportation between locations within designated service areas. Trips can be booked the same day through an app, a website or a telephone support team. That last option matters: a service intended to increase independence should not make smartphone ownership a condition of using it. The service operates Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., using five accessible Toyota Sienna minivans. Rides are curb to curb, and passengers can travel with a companion or personal care attendant. Service animals are also welcome. The pilot extends transportation options beyond the hours and boundaries of some existing county programs, including Saturday trips and connections across county lines. There are limits to the comparison with commercial ride-hailing. CG Hopper is not a vehicle anyone can summon anywhere in South Jersey. Eligibility is restricted to qualifying residents of the two counties, and trips must stay within the designated operating area. Current riders in participating SCUCS and county transportation programs are automatically enrolled; new riders must complete a one-time registration. People qualifying on the basis of disability must provide medical verification. The service is also designed to connect with NJ TRANSIT bus, rail and light rail service, as well as Access Link service areas. That makes the five vans part of a larger transportation network rather than an attempt to replace it. The problem is bigger than a bus route The research behind CG Hopper began years before its launch. Since 2021, researchers at Rutgers University’s Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center have been studying how on-demand transportation could improve mobility for older adults and people with disabilities, particularly when essential trips cross county lines. The work was led by Andrea Lubin, managing director of the center’s New Jersey Travel Independence Program, and senior research project manager Stephanie DiPetrillo. Their team examined demographic information, existing transportation networks, accessibility and the locations of important destinations in Camden and Gloucester counties. They also consulted transportation providers in New Jersey and elsewhere about the practical challenges of cross-county service. That planning approach starts with a straightforward observation: people organize their lives around destinations, not jurisdictional maps. A physician, grocery store, community program or family member may be nearby in miles while remaining difficult to reach through the transportation options available to a particular rider. The stakes are easy to overlook when the conversation is limited to vehicle fleets and route efficiency. Being unable to make a trip can mean postponing an appointment, relying on family for an errand or declining an invitation altogether. Transportation is not just the act of moving between two places. It is often what makes it possible to participate in ordinary life without having to ask someone else for a ride. What five vans can prove CG Hopper’s small fleet is also what makes this a test rather than a finished transportation solution. Five vehicles cannot meet every transportation need across two populous counties, and the available service areas still establish boundaries. The question is whether more flexible scheduling, better connections and cross-county coordination can improve the trips the program does serve. Rutgers will continue working on the project throughout the 18-month pilot, analyzing service performance and rider outcomes. Questions worth answering include whether people can actually secure rides when they need them, whether cross-county trips become easier and whether the service connects riders to destinations that were previously difficult to reach. The announcement describes a plan to evaluate those outcomes, not proof that the pilot has already delivered them. For eligible residents interested in using CG Hopper, registration is available through SCUCS or Gloucester County’s Division of Transportation Services. Camden County directs residents seeking registration information to SCUCS at 856-456-1121. The technology may be new, but the ambition is basic. A person should be able to visit a friend, buy food or reach an appointment without having to build the rest of the day around finding a ride. If CG Hopper succeeds, its most important achievement will not be the ability to call a minivan. It will be a better understanding of how public transportation can make those ordinary choices possible. Sources NJ TRANSIT, October 28, 2026 Rutgers Bloustein School, October 29, 2026 Camden County, October 28, 2026 --- ProbleMattic is written and maintained by Matthew Kulcsar, a software engineer, project manager, technologist, platform builder, emergency-services-trained helper, grandfather, and lifelong collector of broken systems, odd behaviors, and useful nonsense.