Stop NJ Transit Fare Hike

The Office of the Rate Counsel would have a say next time NJ Transit proposes raising fares under a bill that cleared a Senate panel this morning.
State Sen. Linda Greenstein (D-Middlesex) said many commuters complained to her that they were not prepared for NJ Transit’s fare increases last year, which averaged 22 percent system-wide.
“The decision to increase the fares was done in a two month time frame which for commuters who work long hours didn’t provide adequate time,” she said.

Read the full story on NJ.com

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Desperation, anger, and fear were the dominant emotions during the first day of public hearings on New Jersey’s doomsday plan for transit. In Newark, Trenton, Manalapan, and Paterson, hundreds of commuters voiced their vehement opposition to the Christie administration’s proposed 25% fare hike and system-wide service cuts.

At NJ Transit Headquarters in Newark, even the lobby was standing room only. Packed into the modest board room, commuters shared stories of tight budgets and long commutes. Kimberly Eastwood, a single mom from Ocean Township, broke into tears as she described how the plan will slash her family budget.

Read the full story on TSTC

My name is Emily, and I am an ordinary resident of New Jersey. NJ Transit is a big part of my life. I use it regularly to commute to work. My reasons for using mass transit are both on practical grounds (rather sit in the train than in my car) and philosophical grounds (good for the environment and the roads). Despite its shortcomings, NJ Transit is one of the things I really appreciate about life in New Jersey.

So when I learned about the proposed fare hikes on NJ Transit, I got angry. I already commit a big chunk of my paycheck for mass transit, and the thought of paying any more (especially in a single-income household) is just unbearable. So with the help of my tech savvy husband, we created the site http://stopnjtransitfarehike.org. Thanks to you all for taking part.

This morning on my way to work, I decided to hand out mini-flyers about the propsed fare hikes to fellow commuters. It was a very encouraging experience. About 9 out of 10 people accepted the flyer, and about 6 out of 10 even thanked me for it. Of course, I genuinely thanked them in return.

Perhaps my favorite encounter was with a man who asked me about my role in this campaign. When I let him know that I was an independent volunteer, he responded with a bit of surprise and a big smile and said, “So this is really grassroots? Nice.”

Within 20 minutes total today (10 minutes on my way to work and 10 minutes on my way back), I was able to distribute over 100 mini-flyers, all by myself. I would have been able to distribute them in even less time if I could have maximized my time in the morning. After about 10 minutes in the station, a friendly police officer asked me if I had a permit to distribute the flyers. As I didn’t and was not aware of this policy, I stopped and headed to my train.

My convictions about organizing NJ Transit users and allies are all the more affirmed. We are not a hard group to reach out to, as we know where to find each other. And where we gather–on train platforms or at bus stations–we more than likely are waiting around and looking for something interesting to think about. So do us all a favor, and next time you find yourself in such company, ask your fellow commuter if they have heard about the fare hike, and ask them to take action.

At least we will know what will happen if we don’t try.

New Jersey Transit’s payroll rose more than $154 million from 2006 to 2009, when the agency paid a total of $804 million in salaries and wages.The payroll increase was up 24 percent between those years, about three times the rate of inflation. The consumer price index for New York-northern New Jersey rose just 7.3 percent from 2006 to the end of 2009.

Read the full story on APP.com

1. Sign the online petition imploring public officials to engage in more reasonable and bearable measures to address NJ Transit’s budget shortfall.
2. Attend a public hearing on the planned fare increases, which will take place on Thursday, March 25, through Saturday, March 27, throughout the state. The NJ Transit website states that “no final decisions” on the fare increases have been made and that “views on the proposals, as expressed at public hearings and/or information sessions will be presented to the NJ Transit Board of Directors prior to a final decision in these matters.”
3. Write letters to public officials who can leverage their power to stop fare increases. Click on these links to write to each of the concerned parties: NJ Transit, NJ Governor Chris Christie, NJ State Senators and Assembly Members, federal Congresspersons, and federal Senators in NJ, NY, PA, and CT.
4. Share your story about what the fare hikes will mean to you, your family, and your community on this site by emailing your testimonial to us. After we collect several of these, we will publish them on this website.
5. Download, print, and distribute flyers about the planned transit fare hikes to fellow transit riders and allies. Click here for a flyer to post (e.g., in a bus shelter), and click here for a flyer to distribute (e.g., to people who ride the same train as you).
6. Support the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a non-profit organization dedicated to transportation policy advocacy on behalf of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

We petition NJ officials across all levels of government to stop these planned fare hikes. These drastic increases go against NJ Transit’s mission “to provide safe, reliable, convenient and cost-effective transit service.” We demand that officials enact more bearable and reasonable measures to address NJ Transit’s current budget shortfall.

Help us by signing the petition.

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