'FARE HOLIDAY': Gov. Murphy announces week of free NJ Transit service as 'thank you' after summer disruptions

NEWARK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – New Jersey Transit riders will ride for free for a week during an upcoming “transit fare holiday” announced by Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday after a summer of service disruptions.

Fares will be waived on all modes of transportation across the NJ Transit network from Monday, Aug. 26, to Monday, Sept. 2, the governor said.

The holiday is a way to say “thank you” to the hundreds of thousands of riders who rely on public transit, Murphy said in a press release.

Riders who’ve already purchased a monthly pass through August will automatically receive a 25% discount on their September monthly pass purchase through the mobile app, ticket vending machines or ticket windows, according to the governor.

The perk comes after widespread and prolonged service issues across the NJ Transit system this summer, a factor Murphy acknowledged in his announcement.

“Understanding that our commuters have faced many disruptions this summer, we are providing a one week fare holiday for NJ Transit riders,” Murphy said in a statement.

“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,” the governor continued. “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.”

It has been a rough summer for NJ Transit riders. Not only has the system been plagued by train delays and cancellations, but those issues came during a 15% fare hike took effect on July 1, as the agency works to close a more than $100 million budget gap.

NJ Transit said many of the service disruptions have happened along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, which is the busiest rail corridor in the country.

Murphy met with NJ Transit and Amtrak leadership in late June to hash out a plan to improve service on the line. The governor’s release Thursday said that “while the root causes of these incidents have not yet been identified, significant short-term actions have already been taken and there has been noteworthy progress.”

Meanwhile, NJ Transit has increased equipment inspections and Amtrak has stepped up efforts to inspect and repair overhead wire, track signal systems and substations along the NEC, which NJ Transit said has led to a decrease in infrastructure-related incidents recently.