ABOUT TOWN HAMPTONS-MAGAZINE.COM 61 PHOTOGRAPHS BY SANDRA ROSANTE (LYNCH BROTHERS); ADAM D. SMITH (BUS) WITH A TAGLINE OF “Here. There. Everywhere.”, Hampton Jitney has most famously been connecting both summer visitors and locals to the Hamptons for 35 years. Weighty responsibility? Yes. But it’s one the family-run business has unquestionably mastered since its inception. Originated by Jim Davidson in 1974, today’s Hampton Jitney (which is based in Southampton) began as a small fleet of vans equipped with trailers that shuttled bikes and beachgoers between the hamlets. “He lost his shirt that first year,” says current president Geoff Lynch. But the idea stuck. Lynch’s parents bought the outfit from Davidson in the mid-’80s, and Davidson’s eventual concept—luxurious motor- coaches with flight attendant-esque service blazing a straight shot from Manhattan to the Hamptons—made motorcoach travel more civilized. “It changed the impression of bus travel for a lot of people in this area,” says Lynch, who operates the company with his brother (and vice presi- dent), Andrew. Bred partially out of environmental necessity—the company blos- somed during the oil crisis of the ’80s and helped to alleviate gas-guzzling traffic—Hampton Jitney continues to stay true to its green conscience. The company recycles everything, including water and oil, and each coach conceivably takes 55 cars off the road per full trip. Nearly 50 Jitney vehicles carry tens of thousands of people to and from the East End each year. But beyond the numbers is an operation devoted to its community (the Jitney sponsors local events like Hamptons Collegiate Baseball and operates charter services with school districts, tours and corporations), its customers (both year-round and visiting) and its employees. Some drivers have been with the company for 30 years or more, watching gen- erations of families grow with them. And while the summer season is still key, the company is constantly conceptualizing how to expand its core year-round schedule westward (Brooklyn and lower Manhattan have recently been added to the route maps). “This company was born out here,” says Lynch. “It started out in Bridgehampton in a potato barn.” And we couldn’t be happier that it was. 395 County Rd. 39A, Southampton, 283-4600; hamptonjitney.com Manhattan Transfer Hampton Jitney celebrates 35 years on the road. An early Jitney Geoff and Andrew Lynch
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ABOUT TOWN
HAMPTONS-MAGAZINE.COM 61
PHO
TOG
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WITH A TAGLINE OF “Here. There. Everywhere.”, Hampton Jitney
has most famously been connecting both summer visitors and locals to
the Hamptons for 35 years. Weighty responsibility? Yes. But it’s one the
family-run business has unquestionably mastered since its inception.
Originated by Jim Davidson in 1974, today’s Hampton Jitney (which
is based in Southampton) began as a small fleet of vans equipped with
trailers that shuttled bikes and beachgoers between the hamlets. “He
lost his shirt that first year,” says current president Geoff Lynch.
But the idea stuck. Lynch’s parents bought the outfit from Davidson
in the mid-’80s, and Davidson’s eventual concept—luxurious motor-
coaches with flight attendant-esque service blazing a straight shot from
Manhattan to the Hamptons—made motorcoach travel more civilized.
“It changed the impression of bus travel for a lot of people in this area,”
says Lynch, who operates the company with his brother (and vice presi-
dent), Andrew.
Bred partially out of environmental necessity—the company blos-
somed during the oil crisis of the ’80s and helped to alleviate gas-guzzling
traffic—Hampton Jitney continues to stay true to its green conscience.
The company recycles everything, including water and oil, and each
coach conceivably takes 55 cars off the road per full trip. Nearly 50 Jitney
vehicles carry tens of thousands of people to and from the East End each
year. But beyond the numbers is an operation devoted to its community
(the Jitney sponsors local events like Hamptons Collegiate Baseball and
operates charter services with school districts, tours and corporations),
its customers (both year-round and visiting) and its employees. Some
drivers have been with the company for 30 years or more, watching gen-
erations of families grow with them. And while the summer season is still
key, the company is constantly conceptualizing how to expand its core
year-round schedule westward (Brooklyn and lower Manhattan have
recently been added to the route maps). “This company was born out
here,” says Lynch. “It started out in Bridgehampton in a potato barn.”
And we couldn’t be happier that it was.
395 County Rd. 39A, Southampton, 283-4600; hamptonjitney.com
Manhattan TransferHampton Jitney celebrates 35 years on the road.
An early Jitney
Geoff and Andrew Lynch
061_H_AT_Splash_0724.indd 61061_H_AT_Splash_0724.indd 61 7/17/09 12:41:16 PM7/17/09 12:41:16 PM
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