Fares for New Jersey Transit trains and buses will increase by 3% starting on the 1st.
According to the New Jersey Transit Authority, fares for trains, buses, and light rail will increase by 3% starting on this day. This is because the transit authority included a clause for automatic 3% increases starting in July of every year after the 15% increase in fares last July.
As a result of this 3% increase, one-way adult fares for buses connecting New Jersey Palisades Park and Fort Lee to Manhattan will increase from $5.15 to $5.30. Train fares from Princeton to Manhattan will increase from $18.40 to $18.95. The Hudson-Bergen light rail fare will increase from $2.55 to $2.60. The fare increase is expected to help New Jersey Transit’s fiscal year budget, which begins in July.
Transit officials expect the fare increase and increased ridership will generate an additional $33 million in revenue. Fare revenue accounts for more than 30 percent of Transit’s overall budget. However, civic groups such as the Tri-State Transit Campaign are opposing the plan, saying it is unfair to raise fares every year without any noticeable improvements in service. Civic groups are also demanding that a bill currently pending in the New Jersey Legislature to ban automatic fare increases be passed quickly.