NJ Transit Free For A Week: See When, Get Details

NEW JERSEY — After a new ticket price hike and a number of service disruptions this summer, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that New Jersey Transit customers can ride fare-free beginning the last week of August.

This fare holiday is meant as a "thank you" for the hundreds of thousands of riders who depend on public transit, "particularly during a time when transit service has not consistently met their expectations—or our own," officials said.

Not all riders were feeling the gratitude, though — and neither is the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, who said the announcement "smacks of unfairness" to the state's business community.

Fares will be waived for all modes of transit across the NJ Transit Network from Monday, Aug. 26 through Monday, Sept. 2 (Labor Day), Murphy said on Thursday. Bus, light rail, and train customers will not have to purchase or present tickets to travel.

Monthly pass holders who have already purchased their pass for August will automatically get a 25 percent discount on their September monthly pass, according to the governor's office.

Murphy said that transit officials have been working with Amtrak to identify the root causes of delays on the Northeast Corridor, which left thousands of commuters stranded during a brutal heat wave in late July.

"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," he said in a statement. "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.”

NJT also acknowledged that the River LINE light rail service "has not been meeting its performance standards over the last several weeks," and mentioned that supplemental buses have been added to several stops.

"At the same time, we are holding NJ TRANSIT’s contracted operator accountable to expedite necessary repairs and upgrades to the light rail vehicles to restore reliable weekday light rail service as quickly as possible," officials said.

After the announcement, many social media users said they would rather have reliable transportation than a free ride — and pointed out that not as many people will be taking public transit around the holiday weekend.

Alex Ambrose, an analyst with New Jersey Policy Perspective, said that Murphy and transit officials should work towards helping lower-income riders be able to afford the transportation they need.

"We should be exploring how to make transit more affordable," Ambrose posted on X.com (formerly Twitter). "But a one-week holiday is not it. Instead, the gov should explore a Fair Fares program for low income riders so the people who need it the most can afford public transit."

And while the New Jersey Business and Industry Association acknowledged the affordability challenges that face transit riders, President and CEO Michele Siekerka the fare hike is unfair to local businesses and corporations in the wake of a new corporate transit tax.

"New Jersey’s largest employers were just socked with a $1 billion tax increase – retroactively and without warning after the year started – supposedly to help fund NJ TRANSIT," said Siekerka.

“Yet none of that money is committed to NJ TRANSIT this year and many of the businesses footing the bill don’t have employees who use NJ TRANSIT to start with."