NJ Transit mulling 15% fare hike soon, additional increases starting in 2025
CRANFORD, N.J. -- NJ Transit is planning on raising fares and a lot of commuters are not happy about it.
Actually, not happy is an understatement. The agency is talking about a 15% fare hike and more increases annually.
Some commuters say with congestion pricing possibly expected in the spring, the commute into the city is becoming less desirable.
"You have to improve. I mean, hat are people going to do?" said Roberta Kessler of Cranford.
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Train and bus riders say NJ Transit better offer improvements with a proposed system-wide fare increase starting on July 1.
"I think it's ridiculous that they're raising their prices. One, they don't even have the proper times. I work in the city and I don't get out until after midnight, and I can't even get a train home," said Molly O'Halloran of Fair Lawn.
Riders said Wednesday they already deal with delays and service suspensions. Kessler added the summer brings more problems.
"The hot weather. It can be very hot, and always carry water with you. What are you going to do?" Kessler said.
NJ Transit says there's no other choice because the agency is facing a $119 million budget shortfall. The proposal also calls for a 3% increase every year, starting in July of 2025.
Ridership, officials say, has only returned to 80% of pre-COVID levels.
John Wisniewski is a former state Assembly Transportation Committee chair.
"When you have a policy of avoiding fare increases for as long as possible, at some point in time something's got to give, and if you look at the history it has been 10 years since the last fare increase. So, you can't only blame this on the governor. You have to look at the history of governors before him and understand there's something wrong with the process that defers those fare increases until they are absolutely inevitable," Wisniewski said.
NJ Transit officials say they held the line on fare hikes while making improvements, like adding more than 100 bus routes after private bus carriers stopped providing service.
Wisniewski said the agency needs to do more if it's asking customers to pay more.
"That there is going to be enough engineers hired, there will be enough maintenance people to make the trains usable and operational no matter what the weather is, that there will be enough backup equipment, that trains won't be cancelled," Wisniewski said.
Wisniewski said incremental increases would have more sense over the past decade and less shocking for customers. NJ Transit plans on holding 10 public hearings, starting on March 4.
