NJ Transit riders bracing for Monday's 15% fare hike, considering alternatives
SECAUCUS, N.J. -- Starting Monday, NJ Transit customers will experience a 15% fare hike.
It comes in the wake of customers complaining for the past month about service delays, long lines, cancellations, and infrastructure problems.
Irritated riders like Kyle Weber will now have to deal with the long-dreaded bump in cost to get to where they want to go.
"I take the bus a lot, so usually the bus ... either they'll come few or far in between and they pretty crowded or like you'll end up standing out there for awhile," Weber said. "I wasn't thrilled because there's a lot of backups and stuff. Hopefully, [the money] is put to good use, but I know this isn't the first hike and there's a ton of issues. I guess we'll find out."
On Friday, commuters protested outside and inside NJ Transit's headquarters, fighting one last time at the agency's meeting before the fare hike kicks in. Gov. Phil Murphy convened leadership from both the transit agency and Amtrak to announce a joint plan to expedite investigations into recent rail disruptions.
On Sunday, NJ Transit said, in part, "While a fare increase is always an option of last resort -- as evidenced by the six straight years of no fare increases under this administration -- we recognize the impact an increase of any size has on all our customers and remain strongly committed to ensuring that overall service levels are not reduced."
Riders say they are exploring other options
At Secaucus Junction on Sunday night, a ticket to Penn Station in Manhattan cost $4.25, but starting on Monday that ticket price will increase to $4.89. Although that might seem like a drop in the bucket, riders say it could change how they commute over time.
"It may impact whether or not I take the PATH or consider the bus or the train," Weber said.
"I'm better off taking another alternative, probably Uber or Lyft will be my better options despite the traffic," said NJ Transit rider Stella Mogaka.
Riders told CBS New York any extra cost could hurt their wallet.
"Guess what? Life is so difficult. Life is hard. And increasing the tickets is not going to make anybody's life easy for whatever reason. I don't think it's a good idea. They should reconsider," Mogaka said.
"It's stressful. [I've] got a lot of other stuff going on so incorporating that into the daily will take an adjustment for sure," rider Ricky Goodson said.
