The Jersey City Independent "

This afternoon, NJ Transit officials finally confirmed what everyone has known was coming: a proposal for a huge fare hike and widespread service cuts.

The agency’s plan entails raising fares by 25 percent systemwide. The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail fare, for example, would rise from $1.90 to $2.40 per trip.

“We recognize that any increase is a burden for our customers, particularly during a recession,” NJ Transit executive director Jim Weinstein says in a statement. The cuts come on the heels of the agency’s announcement earlier this week that it was laying off more than 200 workers and freezing spending.

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign, in a statement, calls the cuts “devastating,” saying they will force riders to “pay more for less service, longer commutes and more crowded buses and trains.”

The group is calling on Gov. Christie to restore full funding to the transit agency. Christie announced last month that he was withholding $32.7 million in state funding from NJ Transit this year, and warned that more cuts are to come. Meanwhile, he has refused to raise the state gas tax, which is among the lowest in the country.

“Gov. Christie’s recent slashing of NJ Transit by $33 million and refusal to raise fees for drivers is inequitable. The system-wide service cuts, including longer wait times on 50 bus routes and every train line, will worsen commutes for all transit users but will have a disproportionate impact on bus riders,” Tri-State says. “Nearly two-thirds of NJ Transit users are bus riders, many with incomes below the state median. By underfunding NJ Transit, Governor Christie hurts working families, students, seniors, and people with disabilities the most.”

Hudson County legislators say the fare hikes aren’t what our residents need right now.

“Hiking fares by this much is a major blow to New Jerseyans who rely on NJ Transit trains and buses to get to work and earn a living day-after-day,” Assemblyman Charles Mainor says. “Gov. Christie promised no taxes, but this equates to a major tax hike on middle-class and poor New Jerseyans.”

His colleague Vincent Prieto, echoing language being employed by more Democrats around the state, also equates the fare hike to a tax increase.

“Gov. Christie’s fare hike is for all full intents and purposes a major tax increase on New Jersey commuters,” he says. “That is not the type of change New Jerseyans were seeking.”

On the service-cut side of the equation, the agency is, among other things, looking to eliminate 32 of its 725 active commuter trains, cut bus service, and run fewer Hudson-Bergen Light Rail trains during the late-night weekday hours.

Under the plan, off-peak roundtrip discounts on NJ Transit would also be eliminated, and 10-trip bus discounts would be capped at 15 percent off the full fare.

If approved, most of the plan’s changes would take effect May 1. But first, there will be 11 public hearings and information sessions later this month. For more on the NJ Transit budget, or to submit a comment, click here.

PUBLIC HEARINGS & INFORMATION SESSIONS:

Thursday, March 25 (5:30 – 8:30 pm)

• Paterson: Passaic County Community College Theater (Ellison Street & Memorial Drive)
• Newark: NJ Transit Headquarters Board Room (One Penn Plaza East)
• Trenton: Trenton Transit Center (725 South Clinton Ave.)
• Manalapan: Monmouth County Library (125 Symmes Drive)

Friday, March 26 (5:30 – 8:30 pm)

• Secaucus: Frank R. Lautenberg Rail Station (County Road and County Avenue)
• Camden: Camden City Hall (520 Market St.)
• Morristown: Morristown Town Hall (200 South St.)
• Long Branch: Long Branch Middle School (350 Indiana Ave.)
• New York: Port Authority Bus Terminal’s Times Square Hall (625 Eighth Ave.)

Saturday, March 27 (1 – 4 pm)

• Hackensack: Bergen County Freeholders Public Meeting Room (One Bergen County Plaza)
• Atlantic City: Atlantic City Rail Terminal (One Atlantic City Expressway)

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