The program is paid for from a $3.5 million ear-mark secured by Representative William Pascrell of Paterson in 1998. Congressman Pascrell was motivated by the success of the Maplewood pilot jitney service, spearheaded by the Campaign in 1996, which now serves 12% of the town's rail passengers every weekday morning. 45% Maplewood jitney riders previously drove to the station.

Thirty-three towns and counties applied for the shuttle money, but many more were daunted by the roughly $25,000 a year cost of operating the service that, under the current program, each municipality must pay in full. But a little-noticed item in the draft 2001-2003 North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority Transportation Improvement Program may help. NJTransit has set aside $1 million of federal air pollution reduction money to fund "operating expense for the community shuttle program." NJT should publicize the existence of this money during the second round of grants later this year, so that municipalities unable to cover the full operating costs of a jitney program can still participate.