Photo by Adrienne J. Romero / SOC Images.
In late June, New Jersey experienced one of the most intense heat waves in over 100 years with temperatures reaching over 90 degrees consecutively. The heat made its way into July affecting people and businesses like NJ transit and their customers.
“We are experiencing heat-related rail equipment issues to the air-conditioning units and other electronic components due to extreme and excessive temperatures. Customers may experience delays and it may be necessary to cancel or combine trips for the next 48-72 hours,” said NJ Transit on X.
During this time, NJ Transit dealt with broken air conditioners, AMTRAK wiring issues, and delays which left many NJ commuters stranded for extended periods. Along with NJ Transit increasing their fare prices by 15%, many commuters took to social media to express their displeasure with the company.
“Why raise the ticket prices when the trains never work,” said X user Stasia Weckerly.
In April, NJ Transit announced that they would be increasing the fare price statewide with 15% and gradually increasing it by 3% every year starting in 2025. Many of the board members stated that the reason for the increase was based on necessity.
This would leave many commuters spending upwards of $20 for a round trip depending on location. The increase would also affect one-zone fares on some lines by 20 cents.
For example, for NJ Transit bus routes, this put up the price to $1.80 for one-zone and $2.80 for two-zones.
To commuters, the news of the increase came as a surprise with many of them not knowing of the price change till they arrived at their station.
“I wasn’t aware of the increase until I went and was told I needed more cash, it was very frustrating as I was already running late,” commuter Jose Rodriguez told Slice of Culture.
NJ Transit has been active on their X account with updates and information on current issues and changes for the service, but some locals think that the service can find more efficient ways to notify passengers of any changes or delays.
“I think they can be more accurate with their alerts with text messages and try to update the schedule status frequently,” Rodriguez added.
Another concern for commuters, are sometimes the lack of buses and trains in certain areas.
“More frequent buses would benefit bus passengers because oftentimes, the few that arrived during peak times would be packed or they would not come at all,” said James Gordon, a former NJ Transit passenger.
They also try to stay updated through their mobile app, but it only shows information regarding delays to certain buses and train stations.
Slice of Culture has reached out to NJ Transit for a comment regarding customer’s frustrations, but has received no response.
Since the end of the heatwave, NJ transit has been running as usual with few delays affecting a small percentage of passengers. And Gov. Phil Murphy announced a “transit fare holiday” as a way to make amends for all the disruptions, according to an NJ Transit press release.
All NJ Transit bus, train and light rail rides will be free starting Monday, Aug. 26 and will continue until Monday, Sept. 2. Monthly passholders will receive 25% off their September pass, which will be available in the NJ Transit mobile app, vending machines or ticket windows.
“Understanding that our commuters have faced many disruptions this summer, we are providing a one-week fare holiday for NJ TRANSIT riders,” Murphy said in a statement.
“As we work diligently with Amtrak to investigate and address the issues that have occurred this summer, especially on the Northeast Corridor, we hope this fare holiday offers our commuters some relief. We also encourage New Jerseyans to take advantage of this opportunity, and we continue to be thankful to the many New Jerseyans who depend on public transit.”
To stay up to date with NJ Transit follow them on their X account @NJTRANSIT.
