Politics & Government

NJ Transit Plans 25 Percent Fare Hike

Bus and rail prices would be affected

NJ Transit riders could face a 25 percent hike in fares and cuts to service proportionate to ridership declines as part of the transit organization's plans to close a $300 million budget gap.

One-zone local bus trip or one-way ticket on Newark or River Line light rail lines would increase from $1.35 to $1.70 per ride. NJ Transit Bus Services in Springfield include the 114 line goes to Port Authority in New York, routes 65, 66, 70 and 52. The two main hubs are Echo Plaza and Springfield Center (Food King) but buses also stop along Mountain Avenue.

One-way commuter rail tickets, such as ones for trains in neighboring Summit or Millburn/Short Hills, would increase about 25 percent, subject to rounding, according to a NJ Transit press release. Rail ticket prices vary based on distance, but one-way fares would rise from a range of $1.25-$13.25 to a range $1.50-$16.50. Hudson-Bergen Light Rail tickets would increase from $1.90 to $2.40 per trip.

Find out what's happening in Springfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We recognize that any increase is a burden for our customers, particularly during a recession," said Executive Director Jim Weinstein in a press release.  "However, we have worked to keep local bus fares below the regional average and preserved some important discounts for seniors and people with disabilities, as well as for students and others who are among the most transit dependent."
 
Commuters will be able to continue to take advantage of discounted travel by purchasing monthly passes. The plan also continues interchangeable features that allow customers to connect between trains and buses without paying additional costs. Off-peak roundtrip discounts—used today by about 17 percent of rail customers—would be eliminated and 10-trip bus discounts would be capped at 15 percent off the full fare price.
 
The plan calls for most of the changes to take effect May 1, and NJ Transit expects to generate more than $140 million in revenue, according to the release.
 
On the service side, the agency set a goal of reducing service proportionate to ridership, which has declined systemwide by about 4 percent as a result of the economy and low fuel prices.  In all, the agency proposes to eliminate 32 of 725 commuter trains with at least two trains scheduled for elimination on each of the system's 11 lines.

A few lines will see a handful of trains cut, mostly those that today have the greatest service frequency. For example, the Northeast Corridor is slated for a reduction of five weekday trains.  Morris and Essex line service would be reduced by seven trains on weekdays, four of them off-peak, as ridership to Hoboken has declined faster than ridership to New York.

Find out what's happening in Springfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The trains that will be reduced from the Morris & Essex line:

  • Weekday train 870 (5:27 a.m. departure from Hackettstown)
  • Weekday train 873 (7:57 a.m. departure from Hoboken)
  • Weekday train 813 (6:40 p.m. departure from Hoboken)
  • Weekday train 323 (11:20 a.m. departure from Hoboken)
  • Weekday train 348 (3:06 p.m. departure from Summit)
  • Weekday train 465 (5:06 p.m. departure from Hoboken)
  • Weekday train 464 (6:43 p.m. departure from Murray Hill)

Since Fiscal Year 2009, rail ridership to New York has declined about 3 percent, while ridership to Hoboken declined 13 percent.
 
"Our service plan is designed to size our service to match ridership demand," said Weinstein in the release.  "We also looked at where we could squeeze out the most costs while impacting as few customers as possible."
 
Under the plan, bus customers would experience reduced service frequency on about 50 routes systemwide. In most instances, the interval between bus arrival times will grow by a range of five to 20 minutes.

In addition, WHEELS minibus service would be discontinued in all counties.  WHEELS is a legacy program that has exhausted its original federal funding to connect people to transit rail stations, and is underutilized in most areas, particularly in rural parts of the state.
 
"I look forward to hearing the feedback personally from our customers at the public hearings because we need to understand the on-the-ground impacts for folks, not just how this works on paper," said Weinstein in the press release.
 
The public hearings are scheduled in 11 locations across the system from March 25-27.  The hearings and information sessions will be held in the evenings and on Saturday to encourage participation.
 
 PUBLIC HEARINGS & INFORMATION SESSIONS
 
Thursday, March 25, 2010                                             5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
 
PATERSON
Passaic County Community College - Theater
Ellison Street & Memorial Drive, Paterson, NJ
 
NEWARK
NJ TRANSIT Headquarters - Board Room
One Penn Plaza East, Newark, NJ
 
TRENTON
Trenton Transit Center
72 South Clinton Avenue, Trenton, NJ
 
MANALAPAN
Monmouth County Library - Meeting Rooms 2 & 3
125 Symmes Drive, Manalapan, NJ
 
Friday, March 26, 2010                                                   5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
 
SECAUCUS
Frank R. Lautenberg Rail Station
County Road & County Avenue, Secaucus, NJ
 
CAMDEN
Camden City Hall - Council Chambers (2nd Fl.)
520 Market Street, Camden, NJ
 
MORRISTOWN
Morristown Town Hall - Senior Community Center (3rd Fl.)
200 South Street, Morristown, NJ
 
LONG BRANCH
Long Branch Middle School - Auditorium
350 Indiana Avenue, Long Branch, NJ
 
NEW YORK  (INFORMATION SESSION)
Port Authority Bus Terminal - Times Square Hall (2nd Fl.)
625 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY
 
Saturday, March 27, 2010                                              1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
 
HACKENSACK  (INFORMATION SESSION)
Bergen County Freeholders - Public Meeting Room (5th Fl.)
One Bergen County Plaza, Hackensack, NJ
 
ATLANTIC CITY  (INFORMATION SESSION)
Atlantic City Rail Terminal - Lobby
One Atlantic City Expressway, Atlantic City, NJ


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