| Assemblyman Christopher P. DePhillips is calling Gov. Phil Murphy’s NJ Transit fare holiday a poorly timed public relations gimmick and renewing his push for legislative hearings to uncover the root causes of the agency’s failings.
“Holding the fare holiday over Labor Day weekend when most commuters are off from work or on vacation, and college students are back at school, provides the least benefit to riders. It is an attempt to make a failing agency look a little better. This is merely a PR stunt that the Murphy administration concocted after a summer of unacceptable delays and disasters at NJ Transit,” DePhillips (R-Bergen) said.
Power issues, high temperatures and aging infrastructure have been blamed for multiple service interruptions at NJ Transit this summer. Commuters have been trapped on trains and stuck at stations while paying 15% higher fares since July 1.
“Waiving the fares temporarily does not fix the persistent and underlying problems for commuters who have no other choice but to use NJ Transit to get to where they need to go. This isn’t going to attract new riders and doesn’t appease loyal riders who most likely have paid for their fares upfront,” DePhillips said. “I am renewing my call for bipartisan and bicameral legislative hearings so we can get real answers from NJ Transit leadership, instead of excuses. We need to do a top-to-bottom deep dive to identify inefficiencies and waste.”
DePhillips has been demanding a review of NJ Transit and pushing for hearings after the Murphy administration created a new tax on businesses making over $10 million annually, and approved automatic annual fare increases, to fill budget gaps at the agency. He is a member of the Assembly Transportation Committee.
“New Jersey commuters and businesses cannot afford to subsidize an agency that fails to deliver even the basic services. NJ Transit doesn’t have a money problem, it has a leadership problem,” DePhillips said. “Residents deserve a reliable and affordable public transportation system. Unfortunately, NJ Transit is neither. The goal of the hearings and review is to finally turn NJ Transit around.” |
