After a rough spring and summer of frequent breakdowns and delays during morning and evening commutes, NJ Transit is offering a week of free rides on all of its trains, busses, and light rails statewide, NJ Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Thursday (Aug. 15).
The transit fare holiday for all customers runs Aug. 26 through Sept. 2 and is a “Thank You” to the hundreds of thousands of loyal customers who depend on public transit, Murphy said.
“It’s been a really ugly summer. I think June was one of the worst months we’ve had,” the governor said during an appearance on “Good Day New York” on Fox 5 New York.
NJ Transit recorded a 69% on-time performance rate in June, significantly lower than the usual 80%.
The fare holiday also includes a 25 percent discount on monthly passes for September, Murphy said.
“We want to end the summer on a positive note,” Murphy said.
Amid the cancellations and delays, NJ Transit raised fares 15% effective July 1 for all trains, busses, and light rails, with plans for 3% annual increases moving forward. The fare hike was the first in nine years, NJ Transit said, and was necessary to close a $100 million+ gap in the agency’s budget.
While the root causes of all delays have not yet been identified, most have been attributed to Amtrak’s infrastructure. Many of the recent service disruptions have occurred on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC), which is the main line through New Jersey and the busiest in the country. Amtrak also owns the tunnels under the Hudson River and Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan.
“As we work diligently with Amtrak to investigate and address the issues that have occurred this summer, especially on the Northeast Corridor, we hope this fare holiday offers our commuters some relief. We also encourage New Jerseyans to take advantage of this opportunity, and we continue to be thankful to the many New Jerseyans who depend on public transit,” the governor said.
Murphy said Amtrak received a $300 million federal grant to repair overhead wires.
About NJ TRANSIT
NJ TRANSIT is the nation’s largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 925,000 weekday trips on 263 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service.
It is the third largest transit system in the country with 166 rail stations, 62 light rail stations and more than 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.
