Our Story
The history of Trans-Bridge.
Founder’s Beginnings
Founder A.J. Ferraro started in the bus industry in 1917 when he converted a truck into a bus and transported troops to Fort Dix, New Jersey. His passion for all aspects of the industry led him to become a manager, consultant, partner, and owner of various bus companies in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.
Trans-Bridge Lines Founded
In 1941, Ferraro founded Trans-Bridge Lines, Inc. and based the company in the Warren County, New Jersey community of Washington, located in Franklin Township. The company emerged when Ferraro, along with his son John and daughter Camille, took over the New Jersey Interurban Coach Company. The company operated local transit service along the Port Colden, Washington, Broadway, and Phillipsburg, New Jersey corridor to Easton, Pennsylvania, and eventually grew to include Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company also ran a few charters and tour excursions.
Delaware River Coach Lines
Then in 1943 Delaware River Coach Lines, an affiliate of Trans-Bridge Lines, began operating local transit service between Easton and Phillipsburg. This service still runs today under an agreement between Delaware River Coach Lines and New Jersey Transit. By 1946, Delaware River Coach Lines and Trans-Bridge Lines moved to a new facility on Broad Street near the Phillipsburg-Easton Toll Bridge and the Northampton Street Bridge in Phillipsburg.
Birth of Trans-Bridge Tours
In 1969, A.J.’s son John Ferraro started a tour company, Holiday Tours, which conducted retail tours throughout the United States and Canada. The tours included one-day motorcoach excursions to Atlantic City, sporting events, shows, and overnight trips to such destinations as Florida and Tennessee. Holiday Tours changed its name to Trans-Bridge Tours in 1980. Today, the tour company offers One-Day, Multi-Day, Casino Tours, and Air and Cruise Vacations.
LVIP
Trans-Bridge Lines and Tri-City Coach Lines, an additional family-owned charter coach company based in Bethlehem, merged and moved to a new facility in Bethlehem’s Lehigh Valley Industrial Park. The second generation now owned and managed the companies.
West Hunterdon Transit Company
Business grows and Trans-Bridge Lines attains West Hunterdon Transit Company, which increases the service area to cover the entire Lehigh Valley, New Hope, Doylestown, and Quakertown, Pennsylvania; Clinton, Flemington, and Lambertville, New Jersey regions.
Jim Thorpe Transportation
Jim Thorpe Transportation (Lehigh Valley Motorcoach) is acquired.
Today
Trans-Bridge, Inc. is the holding corporation for Trans-Bridge Lines and also provides services such as management, payroll, and accounting for Trans-Bridge Lines, Inc., Trans-Bridge Tours, Inc., and Delaware River Coach Lines, Inc. The companies are now in the family’s third generation of ownership and fourth generation of management
More about us
What makes us great.
Safety
Not all motorcoach companies are equally safe. While there are stringent safety regulations in place at the federal level, they represent minimum safety requirements for a commercial motorcoach carrier of passengers to remain in business.
At Trans-Bridge Lines, equipment and passenger safety has been a priority since our start in 1941. An aggressive preventive maintenance program and continuous in-house inspections of equipment is the norm. We hire only highly qualified mechanics and continue to upgrade their skills by sending them to training classes.
Both the PA Department of Transportation and the NJ Department of Transportation complete an annual safety inspection of all our coaches. The US Department of Defense (DOD) also regularly inspects our facility and equipment. Trans-Bridge Lines is a certified and approved military carrier authorized to transport troops during times of emergency. In 2013, we received a “ONE” rating from the DOD again for our equipment, facility and terminal. “One” is the highest rating a carrier can achieve!
Driver safety is also a high priority at Trans-Bridge Lines. Many of our drivers have ten, twenty, thirty and more years of safe driving records. Several of those drivers have driven over one million miles without an accident. One million miles of accident-free driving equals 12 consecutive years of driving, which is about 6 trips to the moon!
At Trans-Bridge Lines, equipment and passenger safety has been a priority since our start in 1941. An aggressive preventive maintenance program and continuous in-house inspections of equipment is the norm. We hire only highly qualified mechanics and continue to upgrade their skills by sending them to training classes.
Both the PA Department of Transportation and the NJ Department of Transportation complete an annual safety inspection of all our coaches. The US Department of Defense (DOD) also regularly inspects our facility and equipment. Trans-Bridge Lines is a certified and approved military carrier authorized to transport troops during times of emergency. In 2013, we received a “ONE” rating from the DOD again for our equipment, facility and terminal. “One” is the highest rating a carrier can achieve!
Driver safety is also a high priority at Trans-Bridge Lines. Many of our drivers have ten, twenty, thirty and more years of safe driving records. Several of those drivers have driven over one million miles without an accident. One million miles of accident-free driving equals 12 consecutive years of driving, which is about 6 trips to the moon!
Fleet
The fleet consists of 64 full-size, standard MCI 56-passenger motorcoaches with all the standard amenities. Our newest MCI J4500’s feature elegant spiral entryways, plush tiered seating, onboard video monitors, 110-volt outlets for personal electronic devices and Wi-Fi connectivity. These coaches also feature a clean-diesel powertrain for nearly zero emissions to protect the environment.
Affiliations
Trans-Bridge Lines Inc. is a member in good standing of the American Bus Association, International Motorcoach Group, Greater New Jersey Motorcoach Association, Pennsylvania Bus Association, Bus Association of New York and the Better Business Bureau of Eastern Pennsylvania.
Trans-Bridge Tours Inc. is a member in good standing of CLIA, Cruise Lines International Association, the world’s largest cruise industry association comprised of 63 cruise lines and 13,500 travel agencies representing more than 50,000 individual travel agents. CLIA represents the interests of cruise lines and travel agents before regulatory and legislative policy makers and is also engaged in travel agent training, research and marketing communications to promote the value and desirability of cruise holiday vacations with thousands of travel agency and travel agent members.
Trans-Bridge Tours Inc. is a member in good standing of CLIA, Cruise Lines International Association, the world’s largest cruise industry association comprised of 63 cruise lines and 13,500 travel agencies representing more than 50,000 individual travel agents. CLIA represents the interests of cruise lines and travel agents before regulatory and legislative policy makers and is also engaged in travel agent training, research and marketing communications to promote the value and desirability of cruise holiday vacations with thousands of travel agency and travel agent members.