Residents of the Jersey City Heights are getting their long-awaited 24-hour access to New York City, thanks to expanded NJ Transit bus service.

Mayor Steve Fulop and NJ Transit officials announced that beginning today, the No. 119 bus line will operate on a 24-hour schedule on weekdays and Saturdays.

Previously, the No. 119 bus stopped service between 9 and 10 p.m. making it difficult for residents of the Heights who worked overnight or late night shifts in New York City to return home.

"We know that our residents rely on effective public transportation at all hours of the day, but for residents of the Heights that service has been non-existent or inadequate for some time," Fulop said in a statement. "For the past several months, we have been meeting with NJ Transit leadership and appreciate that they've listened to the concerns of our residents, many who are working families that depend upon solid 24/7 bus service to reach their employment."

Overnight frequencies will at times operate every hour, and approximately every two hours later in the overnight.

Additionally, riders had cited frequently late service on the No. 119 line in the late morning and midday. To address those concerns, NJ Transit will add running time between various time-points to ensure bus arrivals better match the schedules.

NJ Transit will also add recovery time between trips to improve service reliability and significantly upgrade on-time performance. As a result, service during the midday off-peak period will be scheduled to operate every 40 minutes, instead of every 30 minutes.

Kern Weissman, president of the Riverview Neighborhood Association, welcomed the expansion and improvements to the No. 119 line.

"After years of working with NJ Transit, the addition of late and overnight service is a great step forward in bringing comprehensive public transportation to the Heights," Weissman said in a statement. "This acknowledges that residents of the Heights need reliable 24-hour access to public transportation and less reliance on cars."

The No. 119 begins routes to New York in Bayonne and eventually makes stops at Central and Manhattan avenues and Palisade Avenue at Congress Street.