After a fare increase and a summer of hell, NJ Transit commuters are getting something for free: a week of free rides.
On Thursday, Governor Murphy announced a fare waiver for all customers from August 26 through September 2, 2024. This week, fares will be waived for all modes of transportation, making rides free across the entire NJ TRANSIT network. The fare waiver is a “thank you” to the hundreds of thousands of loyal customers who rely on public transit.
Monthly pass holders who have already purchased an August pass covering journeys until the end of the month will automatically receive a 25% discount on the purchase of their September monthly pass via the mobile app, at ticket machines or at ticket counters.
From the announcement:
Fare waivers are a way to express our sincere appreciation for the continued loyalty and support of our customers, especially during a time when public transit has not always met their expectations – or our own. NJ TRANSIT recognizes the impact of these service issues over the past few months and remains committed to improving the travel experience for transit customers.
“Knowing that our commuters have faced many disruptions this summer, we are providing NJ TRANSIT riders with a one-week fare waiver,” said Governor Murphy. “As we work diligently with Amtrak to investigate and resolve the issues that arose this summer, particularly on the Northeast Corridor, we hope this fare waiver will provide some relief for our commuters. We also encourage New Jerseyans to take advantage of this opportunity, and we remain grateful to the many New Jerseyans who rely on public transit.”
Many of the recent service disruptions have occurred on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC). NJ TRANSIT has worked tirelessly to advance the joint plan with Amtrak, announced immediately following Governor Murphy’s meeting with NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak leadership on June 27, 2024, to improve service on this critical rail line – the busiest corridor in the country. While the root causes of these incidents have not yet been identified, significant short-term actions have already been taken and notable progress has been made. NJ TRANSIT personnel have increased equipment inspections on the platforms, while Amtrak has increased efforts to inspect and repair its overhead lines, track signal systems and substations along the NEC. These joint efforts have already resulted in a noticeable decrease in infrastructure-related incidents.
Other longer-term actions to improve the health of Amtrak’s infrastructure include providing additional resources to increase testing of transformers in substations and evaluating opportunities to expand work windows with service adjustments to expedite repairs and upgrades. In addition, NJ TRANSIT is working with Amtrak to support overall capital renewal by applying for additional grants to expedite replacement of overhead lines, substations, and transmission and signal lines through the Fed-State Partnership Grant Program.
NJ TRANSIT also recognizes that River LINE light rail service has not met its performance standards in recent weeks. NJ TRANSIT implemented a supplemental bus schedule earlier this week as an interim measure to improve the reliability and predictability of service for customers traveling on weekdays. At the same time, we are requiring NJ TRANSIT’s contract operator to move forward with necessary repairs and upgrades to the light rail vehicles to restore reliable weekday light rail service as quickly as possible.
For more information about fare waivers, visit www.njtransit.com.
