Here is a list of relevant links.
Maps
CityMapper – Powerful directions app that allows you to specify the desired transit method (walking, train, etc). Use the “Bus+” transit method when the trains aren’t running to find a way home!
New Jersey Transit
NJT ABC Plan – New Jersey Transit’s Alternative, Backup & Continency (“ABC”) Plan website.
NJT Travel Alerts & Advisories – NJT’s Alerts and Advisories website.
Other Public Transit
Other Public Transit
Amtrak – An expensive, but sometimes viable, way to get from NY to NJ. Take the Northeast Regional or Acela. The Acela stops at Newark Penn Station and Metropark. The Northeast Regional train stops at EWR (Newark Airport), Metropark and New Brunswick.
CoachUSA – Operates busses out of Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT). Suburban Transit Bus 100 connects to New Brunswick and Princeton. Community Coach Bus 77 connects to East Orange and West Orange. ShoreLine Hudson Bus 900 connects to Paramus.
Greyhound – Operates busses nationwide, including the FlixBus from Midtown (31st St & 8th Ave) to New Brunswick, and multiple busses that connect PATB and GWB Bus Station to Newark and Ridgewood.
I do not recommend trying to board the FlixBus outside of Manhattan as I’ve heard it is unreliable. I had my own bad experience trying to take a Flix Bus from New Brunswick, which never showed up, but I did receive a refund. I have personally seen Flix Busses parked in Manhattan so they do indeed exist!
Peter Pan Bus – Operates busses from PABT to Newark and Ridgewood.
NYWaterway – Operates ferries between NY & NJ. Ferries from W 39th Street Terminal in Midtown Manhattan connect to Lincoln Harbor and Port Imperial in Weekhawken, Edgewater Ferry Landing, and Hoboken 14th Street Terminal. Ferries from Battery Park City / Brookfield Place also connect to Hoboken NJT Terminal, Paulus Hook, Liberty Harbor / Marin Blvd and Port Liberte in Jersey City, and South Amboy.
PATH Trains – The PATH train system often becomes overwhelmed when there are NJT delays and disruptions, so you may not be able to take the first train that arrives if conditions are crowded. Please consider your bus and ferry options before taking the PATH train.
Other Options
Lyft and Uber – An obvious (but potentially expensive) option is to call a Lyft or an Uber home. Try taking public transit as far home as you can get to keep costs down. If possible, schedule your pickup in advance to avoid price hikes from demand surges.
Citi Bike or your own Bike – Yes, you can actually bike from NY to NJ! While you can’t bike through the Holland Tunnel or Lincoln Tunnel or the Outerbridge Crossing, you can bike over the George Washington Bridge (GWB)! Citi Bike docking stations are located near GWB Bus Station on Wadsworth Avenue at West 179th Street and at West 180th Street at Fort Washington Blvd.