'Smaller, more predictable': NJ Transit fares go up by 3% on Tuesday

NJ Transit’s latest fare hike goes into effect Tuesday, bumping the cost to ride the system’s trains, light rail and buses by 3%.

The change comes a year after NJ Transit imposed a whopping 15% price increase on riders, a move designed to make up for a nine-year fare freeze. Now, officials at the agency say they plan to bump the fares 3% every July for the foreseeable future.

“Following an extensive public outreach process last year, and with board approval, these smaller, more predictable increases allow NJ TRANSIT to better keep pace with annual mandatory, non-discretionary cost escalations,” NJ Transit spokesperson John Chartier wrote in a statement. “This allows us to continue to operate full service while making necessary improvements to the customer experience and maintaining the ability to respond to evolving needs.”

Officials said they need the price increases to balance NJ Transit’s annual budgets. Garden State lawmakers last year also passed a new tax on large businesses that helped fill a more than $100 million operating gap.

NJ Transit fares are calculated on a zone-by-zone basis. According to the new fare guidelines, a single zone trip on the buses will increase from $1.80 to $1.85. On the commuter rails, the price for a one-way trip from Penn Station in New York to Union Station in New Jersey will increase from $8.30 to $8.50.

The increase follows a year of turmoil at NJ Transit.

In May, the union representing the agency’s locomotive engineers went on strike for three days due to a disagreement on wage increases, shutting down rail service across the system.

Last year’s much larger fare hike came as NJ Transit struggled with chronic delays caused by infrastructure issues in the Hudson River rail tunnels. As an apology, Gov. Phil Murphy offered riders a free week of fares on bus, train, light rail and Access Link services.