Dennis praises NJ Transit — ‘Don’t knock it ’til you try it!’

Saturday I loaded my bikes on the back of my SUV and drove 12 minutes down the road to the Atco Train Station.

It's a tiny little stop on Rt. 73 just south of Marlton, Voorhees or Berlin. We took the bikes up the ramp onto the platform, bought two one-way tickets for $5 each and wheeled them on the train.

The conductor told us which car would be best for the bikes and off we went. Forty five minutes later we were in Atlantic City, riding down the boardwalk to Ventnor.

We had a great afternoon riding bikes around AC and Ventnor and hopped back on the train to Atco. No traffic. No tolls. No guzzling gas that has become too expensive like everything else in New Jersey.

Not the train.

It was clean, efficient and the people that work there, from the woman cleaning the AC station, to the conductors were pleasant and helpful.

NJ Transit has gotten a black eye over the last few months due to long delays and track problems, but it's still one of the best public transportation systems in a very challenging part of the country.

The people who work there deserve every dime they make and a lot of credit for dealing with a public and an place that can be demanding and tough.

So this summer, pick a destination you want to go to, find a line that takes you there and go. Many of the trains allow you to take a bike on board, and with ride sharing services today, getting around once you get there is cheap and easy.

If you live in South Jersey try the Atlantic City Line, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Saturday was one of the best trips to the shore I've had in a long time and NJ Transit was big part of it!

To find the local train station near you, check out NJ Transit's rail map here.

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Dennis & Judi are on the air weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tweet them @DennisandJudi or @NJ1015.