Possible NJ Transit Fare Increase and Service Cuts

[F40]

I have 4-5 tickets leftover from SEC to Hawthorne, not knowing when I will ever get to use them. I have a couple more random unused tickets sitting for over a year (from friends giving me a ride back home instead). I believe there should be some sort of exchange program.

Tickets are good to other locations where the zones and fares are the same. For a more lengthy trip, you buy a ticket from where your ticket is valid to to your destination. If you buy it on the train there is no surcharge because you already have a ticket. You could save a little money by showing ID and filling out a form at any railroad ticket window and exchanging them for the same kind of ticket, where the fare is the same or higher.
This doesn't apply to MyTix; you activate it, and if you don't use is in two hours forty-five minutes, you loose your money. Tickets on the Erie lines can be more complicated due to non standard agreements with Metro North.
A ticket between SEC and Hawthorne is also valid from SEC to Short Hills, Millburn, Cranford and Linden, and intermediate stations on any line, perhaps the Atlantic City Line is excepted.
http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/budget_Rail-NewYork.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the tip. I will try that.

[philipmartin]

DANGER - DO NOT GET OFF MOVING TRAIN

I did that in 1960 going into Penn Station, New York- high level platforms. I got off on the wrong foot and almost went in between the cars. Luckily, I caught my balance.

I posted a link to a 2010 New York fare chart above. Here's a link to the page with all the 2015 fare charts. I don't know why it says proposed October fares since the Board of Directors has authorized them.
For a number of years now, ticket prices that weren't even dollar amounts ended in multiples of quarters. With the new fares some reduced one way tickets prices end in nickels and dimes again.
http://www.njtransit.com/var/var_servle ... reChangeTo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[F40]

DANGER - DO NOT GET OFF MOVING TRAIN

I did that in 1960 going into Penn Station, New York- high level platforms. I got off on the wrong foot and almost went in between the cars. Luckily, I caught my balance.

Good to hear. Sometimes that blink or impulse can save you. Thank God.

I posted a link to a 2010 New York fare chart above. Here's a link to the page with all the 2015 fare charts. I don't know why it says proposed October fares since the Board of Directors has authorized them.
For a number of years now, ticket prices that weren't even dollar amounts ended in multiples of quarters. With the new fares some reduced one way tickets prices end in nickels and dimes again.
http://www.njtransit.com/var/var_servle ... reChangeTo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the link. The nickels and dimes were always an issue, especially if things did not go as planned and you need to catch a bus in a jiffy with nowhere to make change in sight. Knowing this, I know I won't plan a local bus trip unless I am sure all ducks can be in a row.

I am still surprised that there is no study regarding before and after effects of RTX. At least they should study the ticket data. In addition, I believe ridership per train is a more clear example of how the fares are working (and of course the customer satisfaction surveys speak for themselves), and not NY bound trains from SEC. (If you have the Main Line, Bergen County Line, Pascack Valley Line, about 1/2 filled all dumping into one "sparsely scheduled" weekend NEC/NJCL train at SEC, of course the train will be very full with SRO. However, it is not a good indicator of general ridership level per line.

[F40]

I have 4-5 tickets leftover from SEC to Hawthorne, not knowing when I will ever get to use them. I have a couple more random unused tickets sitting for over a year (from friends giving me a ride back home instead). I believe there should be some sort of exchange program.

Tickets are good to other locations where the zones and fares are the same. For a more lengthy trip, you buy a ticket from where your ticket is valid to to your destination. If you buy it on the train there is no surcharge because you already have a ticket. You could save a little money by showing ID and filling out a form at any railroad ticket window and exchanging them for the same kind of ticket, where the fare is the same or higher.
This doesn't apply to MyTix; you activate it, and if you don't use is in two hours forty-five minutes, you loose your money. Tickets on the Erie lines can be more complicated due to non standard agreements with Metro North.
A ticket between SEC and Hawthorne is also valid from SEC to Short Hills, Millburn, Cranford and Linden, and intermediate stations on any line, perhaps the Atlantic City Line is excepted.
http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/budget_Rail-NewYork.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the tip. I will try that.

Would a ticket from a "10-trip" be eligible for exchange as well (in theory, it should since it is full fare but just wanted to be sure)?

[mohawkrailfan]

One interesting (to me, anyway) thing about the fare hike is that it changes the calculation of whether to buy a monthly pass or not. The break-even point is the number of round-trips you have to take in a month to make the monthly pass a better deal, and it changes for certain zones now. The following examples are for fares to NYP. I haven't run the numbers for Hoboken or elsewhere.

Zone 2 (Newark, Kingsland, Lyndhurst): was 14 round trips, now 15.
Zone 3 (Delawanna, Rutherford, Wood-Ridge): was 15, now 16
Zone 9 (Avenel, Fanwood, Wayne, Mountain View, New Providence, Summit, Ridgewood): was 15, now 16
Zone 14 (New Brunswick, Jersey Ave, Bound Brook, Boonton, Mountain Lakes, Stirling-Lyons, Morristown): was 14, now 15

[JeffersonLeeEng]

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/new- ... 71-transit" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://blog.tstc.org/2015/09/25/nj-asse ... dly-bills/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Proposed legislation is intended to help New Jersey Transit riders who will be hit with a 9 percent fare increase Friday.

Possible procedure changes being discussed include a three year fare hike moratorium for senior citizen, disabled, and college student riders; raising the minimum number of public hearings required by law from one to four; and giving employer incentives in the form of tax credits for employee commuting by public transit.

[SemperFidelis]

Well if those tax credits actually make it through to the people using mass transit that might make a little more sense. Does anyone here want to place money on how many businesses would be decent enough to take a tax break for mass transit users and actually give it to the employees who use mass transit? My money is on it getting dumped into a general business fund of some sort or right to the owner's pocket.

To be fair, because I'm pretty far left when it comes to my opinion of business, my wife's employer will, upon a written request, install high speed charging stations for electric cars. They also, mainly for the need to staff thier buildings with workers willing to work for the sort of pay unskilled labor garners (not a dig, it's just good business on thier part) in areas where unskilled labors can't afford housing, provide buses of thier own with no fare for the workers.

I'd like to see a tax break go directly into the paycheck of workers who can provide documentation that they use mass transit. With so many places being mass transit inaccessible, it would probably be a little unfair...but it would be better than nothing.

Also, isn't giving a tax break to companies or people who use mass transit sort of counter productive? Why raise the fare in the first place, then?

[ExCon90]

Because of the tax break. In effect, the employer gives the money to the employee instead of to the Government. In a way, the cost of a Federal tax break is borne by all taxpayers nationwide--which is fine with me, since that's who bears the cost of all tax breaks.

[philipmartin]

Proposed legislation is intended to help New Jersey Transit riders who will be hit with a 9 percent fare increase Friday.

Fares go up Thursday, Oct. 1. (except monthly tickets which went to the new rates on the 19th of this month.)
This discussion is handy for me, it may enable me to give better advice to my ticket customers.

[loufah]

NJ residents can already use TransitChek to get tax benefits (you pay for transit using pre-tax dollars, up to $130/month). It's a bit of paperwork for the company - they hand out the debit cards to the employees, who pay by payroll deduction. My employer never adopted it, possibly because they were huge and old and paperwork to do anything was extremely costly (a purchase order cost $128). Any bill that promises tax savings but puts the onus on the employer might run into the same resistance.

[TrainPhotos]

The NJ resident thing where you get money back is a neat program. It really does encourage people to ride, in my own personal observations. I do think the entire fare structure needs an overhaul with a bigger focus on cost benefit to the rider based on their means and travel needs. Not to be political, but once Mr. C. Is gone, we may or may not end up with a governor that takes supporting transit very seriously..

[SemperFidelis]

Also not trying to be plitical, but in the modern, government involved mass transportation era in New Jersey (late 70s to present), have we ever really had a Governor that was all that great for transportation?

I guess the Kearny Connection (remember that branding?) got done on Governor Whitman's watch and that was a big win. I think HBLR began on her watch too.

[CentralValleyRail]

I hope you suckers loaded up on MY Tix before the rates went up today. I did.

[TrainPhotos]

I have a thing in nyc this weekend. After that I doubt I'll be doing any traveling via NJT rail unless the company pays us or provides passes/tickets. I would rather ride SEPTA to center city and "bolt for a buck" than pay 31 dollars plus fare hike round trip. I'm sorry, but 34 dollars is simply not an economic fare. It's becoming less commuter/intrastate/regional rail and more pay-to-play transportation for those with abundant means. Sorry if that's too political or something, I'm just very disappointed with NJT and this state in general at the moment..

[MACTRAXX]

I hope you suckers loaded up on MY Tix before the rates went up today. I did.

...or stocked up on NJT tickets that you needed - remember they are good until they are used...

MACTRAXX