As NJ Transit commuters have suffered repeated delays and cancellations throughout the summer, many passengers have undoubtedly thought to themselves, “I shouldn’t have to pay for this.”
From Aug. 26 to Sept. 2, they’ll get their wish.
Gov. Phil Murphy has announced a “transit fare holiday” over that span, during which all modes of NJ Transit will offer fare-free rides; monthly pass holders will get a 25% discount. The months of delays, combined with a 15 percent fare hike that took effect earlier this summer, have led to waves of public criticism of the transit system.
“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.”
Sept. 2, the last day of the fareless week, is Labor Day.
NJ Transit leaders have placed much of the blame for the repeated delays on Amtrak. Amtrak officials manage the Northeast Corridor, which delivers NJ Transit trains into New York City, and overhead wire issues and track signal failures have repeatedly caused cancellations; one train last month was stuck in the Hudson River tunnel for three hours.
The governor’s office said in a release Thursday morning that Amtrak has “stepped up” efforts to inspect and repair overhead wire and track signals, while NJ Transit leaders have increased equipment inspections.
Murphy signed a bill this June to place a 2.5 percent tax on corporations with more than $10 million in profits to fund public transit. Debate around the tax and fare hikes swirled for weeks — NJ Transit faced a funding deficit that amounted to nearly a billion dollars, but many riders said the fare jump made their commutes untenable.
Assembly Minority Whip Brian Bergen (R-Denville) criticized the fare holiday, saying he doesn’t understand why it comes just weeks after fares and taxes were raised to boost the transit system’s revenue.
“Wait a second!” Bergen wrote on X. “You had to raise fares 15% and tax businesses in NJ an extra 2.5% to ‘save NJ Transit’, then you have a ‘Fare Holiday’? WTF is going on???”