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  • Using Monthly Bus Pass On Raritan Valley Line (Weekends)

  • Discussion related to New Jersey Transit rail and light rail operations.
Discussion related to New Jersey Transit rail and light rail operations.

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 #1499007  by njrebel1978
 
I recently just noticed this printed on the Rt 65 bus schedule (see attached file). Supposedly you can use a Zone 2 Intrastate monthly bus pass on the Raritan train on weekends (after 7pm on Fridays). It is also printed on the Rt 59 and 113 bus schedules. Therefore I called NJT to confirm this was legit and she told me Yes it is! She explained that a Zone 2 bus pass will get you between Nwk and Roselle Park, and 3 Zone pass for Cranford, 4 Zone for Westfield, etc..

I just hope the conductors know about this cross honor weekend rule. I plan to use it this weekend. Anyone else experience using their Bus pass on Raritan on weekends? I wonder how many people are aware of this semi hidden cross honor privilege?
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 #1499370  by njrebel1978
 
Update: This past weekend, I used my Zone 2 monthly bus pass on Raritan without a problem. The conductor did inspect my pass for a couple seconds longer than usual, but no issues. Glad I found out about this. It seems NJT is trying to keep this as kind of a hidden secret since it is not mentioned anywhere on their website or even the RVL schedule. It is only stated on a few select bus schedules.
 #1499375  by njrebel1978
 
James, I agree the entire "zone rule" is just complicated and silly. I have used public transit in many other states and none of them had a zones.

However, a $100 rail pass can be equal to a $100 bus pass in value depending on the customer. For example, the rail pass between RP and Newark is about $100/month, and includes a one zone bus ride. Yet, 2 Zone monthly bus pass is about $20 cheaper, can be used on Raritan on the weekends/holidays, and can also be used on any light rail at all times. For my purposes, thats a better value because I normally only take the train on weekends for leisure and the two zone bus pass gets me to and from work each weekday.