More Philadelphia-area residents are expected to travel over the Labor Day holiday weekend this year compared to last.
More than 460,000 area resident are expected to travel this weekend – a 4.2 percent increase from last year.
AAA Mid-Atlantic projects more than one million New Jersey residents are expected to travel 50 miles or more from their homes. That's nearly 5 percent more than last year.
The auto club says 53 percent of holiday travelers are expected to travel to the Jersey shore.
“AAA is forecasting a lift in Labor Day travel this year due to an increasingly positive economic outlook, with key indicators (such as unemployment and the housing market) rebounding as the year goes on,” said Jenny M. Robinson, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “For many Americans, positive economic growth, coupled with decreasing gas prices, contribute to an increased comfort level about traveling for the last three-day weekend of summer.”
Some Jersey Shore towns are reporting beach badge sales are lagging from last year. They blame rainy weather early in the summer season and a lack of rentals caused by Superstorm Sandy.
The average price of gasoline is nearly slightly lower this year compared to the same time in 2012 but has gone up in recent days.
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Public transit is also being expanded this weekend. New Jersey Transit is offering early bus and train service for riders looking to get a jump on the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Extra trains will operate on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, Raritan Valley, Morris & Essex and Port Jervis lines starting around 1 p.m. Friday.
Extra buses will leave the Port Authority Bus Terminals on more than a dozen routes starting around noon.
