PATERSON — "El caballo!"

Cell phone attached to his ear, the driver of the jitney minibus responds to a warning that his nemesis is nearby. Losing to el caballo — "the horse," jitney drivers’ nickname for a large NJ Transit bus — means losing a passenger fare.

So the race is on as the jitney driver tries to beat the bus to the next stop.

A ride on a jitney minibus can be a trip to the Wild West, where few rules go unbroken, competition is a form of ruthless street capitalism and the faint of heart may choose to walk. Drivers chat on the phone over the din of music. Some slow down as they scout for potential fares in the street; some stop in the middle of the street beckoning to pedestrians.

"They can be a menace on the roads when they get into competition, not only with the traditional NJ Transit buses but with one another," said Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio, whose office conducted a surprise inspection of jitneys last month.

"On occasion, you can see the buses actually racing one another to get to the bus stop," he said.

And jitneys are reproducing like rabbits in North Jersey, where mass transit is a necessity. Some 6,500 of the minibuses are registered in New Jersey, according to the state Motor Vehicle Commission, which oversees the 15- to 30-seat vehicles.

They are especially abundant in cities such as Paterson, Clifton and Union City where they take passengers to and from Manhattan. With the increased numbers comes increased competition. In the battle for survival, some jitneys cut corners on equipment. Others fight over customers, which critics say puts passengers at risk.

A Union City beverage vendor has an up-close look at the fights and insults between drivers — and at the traffic accidents — as he stands on a corner selling cold drinks to passengers.

"To pick up a passenger, they form a triangle and start beeping crazy and they won’t move," he said. "They stop in the middle of the street. They stop at green lights, holding everybody up. This is putting people’s lives in danger. The city should really do something."

The fares make jitneys attractive. Some charge almost 30 percent less than NJ Transit, which recently imposed a 25 percent fare hike for interstate buses. A trip from Secaucus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York costs $2.50 on a jitney and $3.20 on a NJ Transit bus.

Stacey Lee, 24, of Union City prefers the jitneys "because it’s fast and easier to get on. They pass by more often, and they’re cheaper."

However, some jitneys don’t offer discounts for child or senior passengers.

Hasmukh Patel, a 27-year-old medical student from North Bergen, said NJ Transit’s monthly bus passes end up costing less than the jitneys charge.

Patel added that jitney drivers will idle for several minutes at a time waiting for more passengers. "They hold traffic up during rush hour," he said.

WELDED DOOR

There also might be risks.

During the surprise inspection in North Bergen by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, 23 of 33 vehicles failed. Officials with DeFazio’s office and the state MVC found major violations involving brakes, exhaust systems, lighting, steering and suspension. In three cases, the drivers were uninsured.

"They perform a service, but they have to do it according to the law, in a safe manner," said DeFazio. "And that is not what is happening."

One driver had welded shut his emergency exit door. Another apparently tried to avoid the inspection checkpoint in the area of Bergenline Avenue near North Hudson County Park. He parked his minibus in a lot a block away, locked it and ran.

The 23 minibuses that failed the inspection were taken out of service until repairs could be made. DeFazio said more inspections are planned.

Norberto Curitomai, who says his minibus company in Paterson, Spanish Transportation, carries 40,000 people a day, maintained that inspections are fine but should be done differently.

"They can show up at my garage or come to the terminal at the starting point and ending point," said Curitomai, who started the company in 1993. "To stop buses on the middle of the route, with passengers getting out on the street — this is very dangerous."

Curitomai said he stresses safety to his drivers — letting them know, for instance, that they are not supposed to pick up customers in the middle of the street. The buses are on a continuous maintenance system and drivers who cause accidents are suspended, he said.

Drivers are required to have Commercial Driver’s Licenses to operate the minibuses.

"We provide great service to customers, with low cost," Curitomai said. None of his vehicles were taken off line at the recent inspection.

More coverage:



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• Jitney checkpoints caused crowding during morning commute

Curitomai said many owner-operators are not as careful because they need to pick up as many fares as possible. "Whatever they make on the streets, they keep," he said.

TRAFFIC STOPPERS

Taking several trips over the past month, a Star-Ledger reporter found that traveling on a jitney can be a great adventure — or, at least, like a ride at Great Adventure. During one trip on the busy highway from Paterson to Union City, the driver spotted potential customers heading toward a bus stop. He beeped and motioned for them to get on, then pulled the minibus to the side of the road, a block from the bus stop. The passengers hopped on.

"They start beeping at you as you’re walking toward the bus stop," said Orlando Rodriguez of Jersey City, who frequently rides the jitneys. "They stop traffic to pick somebody up."

In some cases, the jitneys conjure up images of the micros (pronounced MEE-croes) of Peru that fight for passengers and take them on roller coaster-like rides through the streets.

In North Jersey, competition is so intense, one jitney displayed a sign urging customers not to ride another company’s minibus.

It read: "As of June 1, the Green Express service buses will increase their fares. We, the independent drivers, are not. Please do not support the increase."

The jitneys also battle the larger buses. At the transfer station at 30th Street in Union City, jitneys line up on the right corner of a one-way road, forcing NJ Transit buses to turn onto the left lane. On a recent morning, a bus jackknifed as it maneuvered through the tight space, causing a major traffic jam.

The jitneys stood their ground, waiting for fares.

By Carmen Juri and Mike Frassinelli/The Star-Ledger