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.