FY 2025 NJT fares

New fares proposed for FY 2025

Since 2015, NJ TRANSIT has held the line on fare increases while not only improving service performance, but adding additional service on more than 100 bus routes and absorbing the ongoing costs to operate service that replaced private carrier bus services abandoned by DeCamp, Coach USA and A&C, which represents more than $30 million alone.

As NJ TRANSIT began the preparations for the FY25 budget process, the agency underwent an intensive internal assessment to identify and maximize cost reductions and revenue enhancements.

Through a combination of $44 million in cost reductions, along with an additional $52 million in revenue enhancements, NJ TRANSIT is reducing the originally projected FY25 deficit and offsetting some mandatory, non-discretionary cost escalations. Included in the FY25 revenue enhancements are the proposed conclusion of the FLEXPASS pilot and the implementation of 30-day expiration dates on all one-way tickets. Internal savings and revenue enhancements alone, however, are not sufficient to eliminate this budget gap.

In order to close the remaining budget gap of $106.6 million, NJ TRANSIT is proposing a systemwide fare adjustment of 15 percent taking effect on July 1, 2024. This proposed fare adjustment, along with NJ TRANSIT’s internal efficiencies, savings and revenue enhancements would allow for a fully funded FY25 operating budget that avoids reducing service levels.

This fare adjustment proposal also includes annual systemwide increases of 3%, effective July 1, 2025 and going into effect on July 1st of each subsequent year – no fare would increase more than 3% annually.

www.njtransit.com/press-releases/nj-transit-set-begin-public-hearings-fare-adjustment-proposal
www.njtransit.com/hearing

The 30-day expiration feels slimy. I find it hard to believe that anyone would “stock up” on tickets to avoid fare increases (I mean, if someone wants to spend 2k up front, why not? NJT can immediately invest that money). Therefore, adding an expiration date is just a way to keep money for services that were paid for but never rendered.

They say FlexPass is ending. Does that mean that there will be no replacement? It was a great deal for people who were going into the office only 3 days a week. A monthly never made sense for these people, is the idea that they will just be buying one-ways now? If so, that’s not a 15% increase, it’s a 35% increase. Seems like that would reduce ridership.

That’s 9 years since the last price increase. What’s inflation since then?

31%, so less?

Deadline for submitting comments is tomorrow night. Recommend doing so at https://njtransit.my.salesforce-sites.c ... adjustment

Everyone: I was going to attend tonight's fare increase hearing in Newark tonight - had a change of plans...
I wanted to speak specifically about the implementation of a 30 day limit on NJT one way tickets...

PB - Thank You for the note about the deadline to submit online comment to NJT which is tonight at
Midnight (Friday March 8) and with this post I will share what I sent to NJT:

As we know the current NJT fare policy of tickets being Good Until Used without expiration along with
the "All Sales Final - No Refunds" has been in effect for about 20 years...

The current NJT Rail fare policy is a "trade-off" of sorts with tickets not having an expiration date along
with refunds not being permitted which to me is a balance that is acceptable...

Since 1983 NJT Rail tickets have had valid periods previously as long as one year and as short as 60 days
in the late 1990s/early 2000s that was extended back to one year and then eliminated altogether when
the current Good Until Used ticket policy was implemented...

With a 30 day expiration a refund policy should be brought back that encourages ticket use but allows
some recourse if a specific ticket can not be used during this period...I also suggested that there could
be an "Exchange" option allowing to submit an unused ticket with its value going towards a new ticket
along with this notation "Exchanged Ticket-No Cash Refund Value" for an added period of use...

I suggested if an expiration date is to be brought back that 90 days/three months could be a minimum
or bringing back the one year period which in itself was very flexible to most riders...

Best yet I mentioned that the current NJT Rail fare policy should continue on unchanged...
After about 20 years this would be easiest for everyone interested and involved:
Passengers and Train Crew members to know and understand with an upcoming fare increase...
MACTRAXX

I'm not an accountant, but I'm wondering whether the introduction of an expiration date is prompted by the need to carry tickets with no exdate on the books forever as a contingent liability and this change is simply a housekeeping matter to allow the books to be closed after unused tickets have expired. If that's the case, 90 days is a reasonable period, and 6 months shouldn't be a burden.

MNCR and LIRR added a $10 refund fee, which could exceed the cost of a one-way ticket or result in a small amount actually refunded.

One thing that's also unclear to me is this change is touted as something that will avoid the fiscal cliff, but in reality it just pushes it off by one more year, and NJT is still completely hosed for FY2026. What's going to be the plan then? Make tickets expire after 24 hours?

LIRR has this for their City ticket and it drives me nuts. If I book my plane tickets two months in advance, why can't I do the same for my transit tickets to get to the airport? If anything, letting me buy tickets ahead of time is more likely to "lock" me into taking transit instead of a Lyft when the time actually comes.

Some additional stats I drew up while writing my comments:

- Inflation since NJT last raised fares is 31%
- Fare increase for a rider who used FlexPass and will now be forced to purchase one-way tickets is 43%
- Yearly commute expense increase for someone from Hamilton adds up to $1680…more than my monthly mortgage + property tax bill.