NJT and New Jersey Skylands Insurance Kicked off Campaign

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Users of mass transit will be eligible for up to a 10% auto insurance discount starting today from New Jersey Skylands Insurance Cos.Users of mass transit will be eligible for up to a 10% auto insurance discount starting today from New Jersey Skylands Insurance Cos.

To raise awareness for the program, Skylands kicked off an advertising campaign in conjunction with NJ Transit. NJ Transit hopes to gain more riders with the partnership. “This discount provides one more reason for New Jersey residents to make transit a part of their daily commute,” says George D. Warrington, NJ Transit executive director.

Commuters will be required to provide a copy of their mass-transit ticket—any form of transit is acceptable—including van pools and ferries in addition to the traditional bus and rail, says John Tiene, vice president of corporate relations at Skylands. “We know that people who commute to work five or six days a week don’t use their cars and they deserve a better rate,” he says of the program, which started as an internal idea. The size of the discount is based on the coverage a customer purchases, says Tiene.

Elected officials see this initiative as one more success for the auto insurance reforms put in place several years ago. “In three short years, auto insurance rates have released their stranglehold on New Jersey drivers and gone down considerably for the overwhelming majority of policyholders,” says Assemblyman Louis D. Greenwald (D-Camden), author of the 2003 law reforming New Jersey’s auto insurance regulations that increased consumer choice and market competition.

“It’s no secret that New Jersey drivers have paid some of the highest car insurance premiums in the nation over the last few years,” adds Joe Armeni, president, New Jersey Skylands. “But, that has changed dramatically thanks to an ever-growing competitive landscape and the hard work of — and cooperation between — insurers, policymakers and elected officials.”