NJT Drastically Raises Rail Fares

The New Jersey Transit Board of Directors voted to raise peak-hour and commuter-rail fares, as well as interstate bus fares, by 25%.  Off-peak rail fares will be increased by 47%, although some will increase by as much as 64%.  There wil also be some cuts in rail service, including several trains on the M&E and Montclair-Boonton Lines.
NJT management cut back on its original proposal to raise local bus fares from $1.35 to $1.70, so the new local bus fare will be $1.50.  Planned cuts in bus service will not be as severe as originally planned, including the retention of several bus routes in Morris County that had been scheduled for elimination.
The Lackawanna Coalition and other rail advocates had opposed the steep fare increase, claiming that it was unfair to implement the largest rail fare increase in NJT’s history while user fees paid by motorists and truckers at the pump or the toll booth will not increase at all.
Several members of the Lackawanna Coalition made statements concerning the issue at legislative hearings, NJT hearings, and the Board meeting at which the fare increases and service cuts were implemented.