The New Jersey Transit Board of Directors voted unanimously yesterday to approve a 15% fare increase effective July 1 and an additional 3% next year.
The 9-0 vote approved the climbwhich will be the first in almost a decade. NJ Transit riders have not seen a fare increase during Governor Phil Murphy’s administration and the agency will look to stabilize its finances in the future by instituting annual fare hikes similar to those of the MTA and other transportation agencieshe indicated ABC News.
Many NJ residents frequently use public transportation to travel to neighboring New York, and the number is expected to increase with the announced congestion toll for driving in Manhattan.
Hundreds of people spoke out against the plan during public hearings on the issue. Before the board meeting yesterday, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla joined a protest by transportation and other advocacy groups outside the NJ Transit offices in Newark, the state’s most populous city. “We are talking about a 30% increase in a short period of time… that is not right,” Bhalla stated.
NJ Transit faces un budget deficit of more than $100 million in the next fiscal year and almost $1 billion the year after thatsimilar to the deficits mass transit agencies are experiencing in all the country due to fewer passengers after the pandemic, as travel and remote work trends have changed routines.
Officials say ridership is at just 80% of pre-pandemic levels. NJ Transit has used federal funds to help make up the gapbut that money will run out soon.
In addition to the increases, the “flex plan” is eliminated and one-way tickets will expire after 30 days. At the same time, the state of New Jersey is suing the MTA over its congestion pricing plan, which plans to raise money to finance public transportation in New York by charging drivers $15 a day in Midtown and Lower Manhattan. That plan is expected to take effect in mid-June, although it still faces several court challenges.
Governor Murphy Is Also Proposing a Corporate Transit Tax to impose a 2.5% fee on businesses making more than $10 million annually to address NJ Transit’s looming budget shortfalls. This will be debated in the state legislature before the July 1 budget deadline.
In 2023, Murphy blocked an increase in tolls in New Jersey, after three years of successive increases that had already hit drivers.
2024-04-11 12:47:00
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