New Jersey Transit will issue full refunds for unused tickets and will clear expiration dates for any ticket purchased before June 1.
The decision came four days after Senate President Nicholas Scutari called on them to reverse their policy, perhaps showing that the power of a legislative leader expands during budget season.
The state’s public transportation agency launched a new policy in April declaring that all one-way tickets would expire in 30 days; they previously had no expiration date.
Scutari said he was prepared to draft legislation that would have required New Jersey Transit to overturn the policy
“I am hopeful that such a step is unnecessary. I expect them to do the right thing.”
Scutari argued it was “blatantly unfair” for riders to discover their tickets were worthless if not used by a certain date, even though the policy hadn’t existed when the tickets were sold.
“I welcome New Jersey Transit’s response in offering refunds to customers who purchased tickets in good faith only to learn after the fact that they would be worthless if not used by a newly imposed deadline,” Scutari stated. “Reversing that policy is the only thing to do. Providing reimbursements will help correct that wrong and make the purchasers whole.”
Scutari said the transit agency “has a responsibility to respect the consumer rights of its riders by treating them fairly.”
“If they want to sell tickets with expiration dates, it should be on the tickets or the purchasers should be informed at the time of sale,” he said. “That is a reasonable expectation for any customer, including riders who rely on the services of a public transit agency.”
Tickets purchased prior to June 1 will be eligible for refunds if they are unused by July 31. Tickets purchased after June 1 will expire on July 31.