(The Center Square) — New Jersey Transit is offering free rides on its trains and buses this week as the embattled agency struggles to regain public confidence amid chronic delays and service disruptions.
The weeklong fare holiday, expected to cost the state $19 million, gives passengers a pass on fares on trains, light rail and buses, while monthly customers will get a 25% discount on their September passes.
Gov. Phil Murphy said the weeklong suspension of fares on the transit system recognizes that NJ Transit riders have "faced many disruptions" described as the "summer of hell" for commuters.
"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," Murphy, a Democrat, said in a statement. "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."
Critics have panned the fare holiday as a political stunt that will do nothing to fix the beleaguered system's finances and long-running problems while not compensating NJ Transit riders for months of disruptions and delays.
“This fare holiday is a gimmick," Alex Ambrose, a policy analyst with New Jersey Policy Perspective, posted on social media. “This will not substantially help riders who have been suffering under the neglect of Transit for decades.”
The weeklong fare holiday also comes on the heels of double-digit fare hikes and a new 2.5% corporate tax aimed at helping the cash-strapped transit agency avert a projected fiscal cliff.
NJ Transit has received billions of dollars in federal pandemic aid, but the agency says those funds are nearly exhausted. Ridership has returned to only 80% of pre-pandemic levels, the agency says, resulting in a nearly $2 billion reduction in fare revenue.
Overall, NJ Transit faces a budget shortfall of more than $766 million starting in July 2025. The agency has projected a $119 million deficit in the upcoming year and plans to reduce that revenue shortfall with $44 million in cost reductions and $52 million in revenue enhancements.
Michele Siekerka, president and CEO of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, said the fare holiday is unfair to New Jersey’s business community, which is increasingly shouldering transit agency costs.
"Providing this fare holiday on the heels of a massive corporate tax increase to support the budget woes for NJ Transit is a frustrating message and wholly disregards the latest hit our business community just took on competitiveness," he said in a statement.
New Jersey Republicans have also criticized the week of free fares and called for a special legislative hearing to investigate issues surrounding the problem that plagued the NJ Transit system.
"Giving away a week of bad service is not the cause for celebration Murphy thinks it is," state Assemblyman Brian Bergen, R-Morris, said in a statement. "The headlines should read, ‘Free week of hell for NJ Transit riders because we are too inept to fix it.' Free rides on a dumpster fire do not make up for the constant failures at NJ Transit."
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