SECAUCUS, NJ — Starting Monday, NJ Transit customers will experience a 15% rate increase.
This follows customer complaints about service delays, long queues, cancellations and infrastructure issues.
Irritated riders like Kyle Weber will now have to deal with the long-feared cost increase to get where they want to go.
“I take the bus a lot, so usually the bus… either they come very close or far apart and they’re pretty full or you’re stuck there for a while,” Weber said. “I wasn’t happy because there’s a lot of traffic jams and stuff. Hopefully, [the money] is well used, but I know this is not the first walk and there are a lot of problems. I think we will find out.”
On Friday, commuters protested outside and inside NJ Transit headquarters, brawling one last time at the agency’s meeting before the fare increase takes effect. Governor Phil Murphy convened leadership from both the transit agency and Amtrak to announce a joint plan to accelerate investigations into recent rail disruptions.
On Sunday, NJ Transit said in part: “While a fare increase is always a last resort — as demonstrated by six consecutive years without a fare increase under this administration — we recognize the impact that an increase of any size has on all of our customers and remain strongly committed to ensuring that overall service levels are not diminished.”
Riders say they are exploring other options
On Sunday evening, a ticket to Manhattan’s Penn Station at Secaucus Junction cost $4.25, but starting Monday that price will increase to $4.89. While that may seem like a drop in the ocean, travelers say it can change the way they travel over time.
“It could impact whether or not I take the PATH or consider the bus or the train,” Weber said.
“I’m better off taking another alternative, probably Uber or Lyft are my better options despite the traffic,” said NJ Transit rider Stella Mogaka.
Riders told CBS New York that any additional fees could hurt their wallets.
“Guess what? Life is so hard. Life is hard. And increasing the number of tickets is not going to make life easy for anyone for any reason. I don’t think it’s a good idea. They should reconsider,” Mogaka said.
“It’s stressful. [I’ve] There’s a lot of other things going on, so incorporating that into the day-to-day will definitely require an adjustment,” said rider Ricky Goodson.
