NJ Transit won’t increase its fares for the fifth consecutive year, the agency and the Murphy administration announced Feb. 28, along with the news that WiFi will be installed on all NJ Transit buses through Gov. Murphy’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget.
Gov. Phil Murphy announces New Jersey Transit’s completion of full locomotive engineer roster on April 22, 2021 at Metropark in Iselin. – NJOIT/GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
“Without a single fare hike, NJ Transit has been drastically transformed and improved over the last five years,” Murphy said. “On-time performance is up, cancellations are down, and engineer ranks have been replenished. Under our administration, NJ Transit has been on the fast track to success and will remain a high priority in years to come. New Jersey commuters deserve a transit agency that works for them, and that is exactly what we are giving them.”
In the past four years, NJ Transit has awarded more than $4 billion in capital projects, which are currently underway or will soon enter the procurement phase.
That include the agency’s largest ever construction contract, for the new Portal North Bridge for $1.6 billion; a $600 million construction contract for the Raritan River Bridge, which broke ground in September 2020; commitment to invest $250 million for the Walter Rand Transportation Center Improvement Project; and $190 million to renovate and modernize Newark Penn Station.
“Considering the vast advancements made by NJ Transit in the past four years, the fact that customers have not seen fare increases serves as evidence of the level of commitment and investment to mass transit by the Murphy Administration,” said New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ Transit Board Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “We are grateful to the administration for helping NJ TRANSIT put its customers first while forging ahead with projects that will revitalize the system.”
NJ Transit has also improved reliability and service for bus, rail, and light rail customers during that time, with on-time performance from Fiscal Year 2019 to Fiscal Year 2021 improving from 90.0% to 93.3% for rail riders, 91.3% to 98% for bus riders, 96.6% to 96.9% for those taking the light rail.
“Since 2018, Governor Murphy has provided continued support for NJ Transit to deliver improvements in safety, service, reliability and the overall experience for our customers,” said NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett. “While there is much work still to be done, we’re pleased that we’re able to continue to build on the progress of the last four years without a fare increase for our customers in Fiscal Year 2023.”
