Stop NJ Transit Fare Hike

A grassroots campaign is apparently afoot to boycott NJ Transit starting May 1 in protest of the train fare hikes.

ATTENTION ALL NJ TRANSIT RIDERS! On May 1, 2010, NJ TRANSIT will be raising ticket prices by 25%. This means if your one way ticket was $5.00 it will now be $6.25. They will no longer sell off peak round trip tickets. In addition, they will cutting transit personnel by 1/3; taking away part of their pension; and not giving raises to the workers.
PLEASE JOIN US AS WE BOYCOTT NJ TRANSIT. During a time of economic instability we cannot afford these outrageous hikes. Please do not buy your tickets before May 1, 2010 and take alternative transit to work (ie: car pool, cab pool, the path train, decamp; lakeland buses; academy buses; Olympia Trails; etc) Let’s show NJ Transit that they need us to stay in service.

Source: Baristanet

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Information about Fare and Service Changes

On April 14, 2010, the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors approved a revised fare and service plan to help close the agency’s looming $300 million budget gap.  The revised fare plan reduces the systemwide fare increase to 22 percent and provides a fiscally sound and sustainable budget that continues high-quality service delivery.

Rail Fare Information

• Although rail fares will increase 25 percent effective May 1, deep monthly discounts will be maintained, as will discounts for seniors, students and children.
• Customers using weekly and monthly rail passes will continue to be able to make connections between trains and buses without additional cost.
• Train schedules will be adjusted to accommodate customers whose trains will be eliminated as part of the effort to match service with current demand.  Rail schedules will change May 23 on most lines.
• Discounted off-peak rail tickets will not be sold after April 30 and will not be accepted after May 23.

Light Rail Fare Information

Light rail fares will increase 10 percent.  The one-way ticket will increase from $1.35 to $1.50 on Newark Light Rail and River Line.  Hudson-Bergen Light Rail trips will increase from $1.90 to $2.10.

Bus Fare Information

On the bus side, interstate and commuter bus fares also will increase 25 percent. Discounted 10-trip bus tickets will continue to be offered, with discounts capped at 15 percent.  The Board also approved retaining service on several local bus routes in eight counties that had been proposed for elimination.  The restoration of bus services preserves associated Access Link paratransit services that shadow local bus routes.

The final fare plan that will take effect May 1 provides for a 10 percent increase for local bus and light rail riders – who make up 52% of NJ TRANSIT customers.

Fares for seniors, children 11 and under, and customers with disabilities will continue to be discounted 50 percent or more off regular one-way fares.

In addition, students who attend a college or university in our University Partnership program can receive up to 25 percent off their monthly pass.  Visit njtransit.com for details.

NJ TRANSIT customers can save up to $1,000 annually by taking advantage of commuter tax benefits through their employer.  (The federal government recently increased the pre-tax commuter benefit to $230 per month.)  For more information on how to save, visit www.njtransit.com/taxbenefits.

For more information about the fare and service plan, visit www.njtransit.com/budget.

NJ Transit bus and rail riders will pay more starting May 1.
The agency’s board voted today to increase fares and change bus and rail service. Rail and intercity bus fares will go up by 25 percent and certain discounts will be eliminated.
Local bus and light-rail riders will pay 10 percent more.

Read the full story in NJ.com

NJ Transit’s board of directors will decide whether to raise bus, train and light rail fares as much as 25 percent when it meets Wednesday.
NJ Transit staff and directors held 12 hearings and information sessions on the proposal. Hundreds of people attended, and almost 4,000 comments were received electronically and are now being reviewed.
The fare increase, scheduled for May 1, is part of a plan to address a $300 million shortfall in the agency’s 2010-11 budget. NJ Transit is also laying off 200 people, cutting executive pay and reducing 401(k) contributions.

Source: Record Online

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New Jersey Transit announced today that they will rethink their budget-cutting proposals, including the 25 percent fare hike, after listening to the public outcry at the 12 lively hearings last week. Winstina S. Hughes was at the Friday, March 26 hearing at the Secaucus Junction Station and reported back to The Local.

Under the proposal, fares would increase 25 percent statewide. Some train, bus and light rail services would be cut.

Maplewood, South Orange and Millburn residents should expect that the Morris and Essex line service would be reduced by seven trains on weekdays, four of which would be off-peak.

Commuters who purchase monthly passes would continue to receive a discount of 25 percent or more off full fares.

Off-peak train tickets would be eliminated. And the 10-trip bus discount would be capped at 15 percent off the full fare price.

“We realize this proposal is painful,” said Financial Officer Kim Vaccari at the hearing. “We are aggressively attempting to address issues.”

NJ Transit’s Board of Directors will take formal action on the proposal on April 4. Changes will take affect between May 1 and May 7. Public comments were recorded in writing and will be provided to the board during deliberations.

Source: NY Times

I guess the reason to celebrate is over – NJ.com reports that the federal money can not go toward offsetting a record 25-percent fare increase that is proposed for May 1:

The money had already been earmarked and can not go toward offsetting a record 25-percent fare increase that is proposed for May 1.

NJ Transit executive Jim Weinstein said $150 million in federal stimulus money already went toward defraying operating costs this year.

But without that one-time cash injection of $150 million — combined with a 4-percent loss in ridership due to the economic downturn, union contractual obligations and a reduced state subsidy — NJ Transit is staring at a $300 million budget gap for the fiscal year that begins on July 1.

To close the hole, the agency has proposed the 25-percent fare hike, 200 layoffs, a 5-percent cut in executive pay and a reduction in contributions to the employee 401(k) retirement fund by one-third.

Just after announcing service cuts and fare hikes on Friday, NJ Transit has announced that they will be receiving federal funding from the Recovery Act.

But we still need you to follow us on Twitter and join our Facebook group, to make sure that this will not happen in the future.

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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NJ Transit published on its website the detailed plan of service cuts and price hikes:

See if your train is canceled – here.

See if your bus service is canceled – here.

See how much more money are you going to pay – here.

What do you think of NJT’s plan? How badly are you affected?

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