Free Trains, Bus, Rail Rides For NJ Transit Users: See Details

NEW JERSEY — As of Monday, fees are waived on New Jersey Transit buses, trains, and light rail lines for a week. Officials say this opportunity for a free ride is meant to show appreciation to customers during a summer of delays, cancellations, and ticket price hikes.

The transit fare holiday runs from Aug. 26 until Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 2) for all NJ Transit riders, who won't have to show a ticket when they board public transit. Monthly pass holders who had already purchased their August past will automatically get a 25 percent discount on their September pass through the mobile app, ticket windows, and ticket vending machines, according to Gov. Phil Murphy's office.

This fare holiday is a way to say "thank you" to the hundreds of thousands of riders who depend on public transit, "particularly during a time when transit service has not consistently met their expectations—or our own," Murphy and transit officials said on Aug. 15.

A 15 percent rate hike went into effect in July, as NJ Transit looks to climb out of a projected $106.6 million gap in its budget for the 2025 fiscal year. Subsequent 3 percent increases will also be implemented on July 1 of each year.

Meanwhile, the state's FY 2025 state budget also included a 2.5 percent tax on businesses that earn more than $10 million per year in New Jersey, to create anther funding source for NJ Transit. That fee will sunset in 2029.

And as mentioned above, commuters and other transit customers have also dealt with cancellations, long delays, and breakdowns this summer while trying to get from point A to point B.

Those delays and cancellations were still plaguing commuters and travelers as the fare-free week is underway. Several trains were cancelled Wednesday afternoon on the Morris & Essex, Northeast Corridor, and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail lines due to equipment availability and/or mechanical issues.

“Understanding that our commuters have faced many disruptions this summer, we are providing a one week fare holiday for NJ TRANSIT riders,” the governor said in a statement.

Murphy added that transit officials have been working with Amtrak to identify the root causes of delays on the Northeast Corridor, which left thousands of commuters stranded during a brutal heat wave in late July. NJ Transit pays the company more than $100 million to upkeep a section of the busy railway corridor.

“...we hope this fare holiday offers our commuters some relief," Murphy said. "We also encourage New Jerseyans to take advantage of this opportunity, and we continue to be thankful to the many New Jerseyans who depend on public transit.”

NJT also acknowledged that the River LINE light rail service "has not been meeting its performance standards over the last several weeks," and mentioned that supplemental buses have been added to several stops.

"At the same time, we are holding NJ TRANSIT’s contracted operator accountable to expedite necessary repairs and upgrades to the light rail vehicles to restore reliable weekday light rail service as quickly as possible," officials said.

Not all riders were feeling the gratitude — and neither is the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, who said the announcement "smacks of unfairness" to many employers.

Alex Ambrose, an analyst with New Jersey Policy Perspective, said that Murphy and transit officials should work towards helping lower-income riders be able to afford the transportation they need.

"We should be exploring how to make transit more affordable," Ambrose posted on X.com (formerly Twitter) on the day officials announced the far holiday. "But a one-week holiday is not it. Instead, the gov should explore a Fair Fares program for low income riders so the people who need it the most can afford public transit."

And while the NJBIA acknowledged the affordability challenges that face transit riders, President and CEO Michele Siekerka said the fare holiday is unfair to local businesses and corporations in the wake of that new corporate transit tax.

"New Jersey’s largest employers were just socked with a $1 billion tax increase – retroactively and without warning after the year started – supposedly to help fund NJ TRANSIT," said Siekerka.

“Yet none of that money is committed to NJ TRANSIT this year and many of the businesses footing the bill don’t have employees who use NJ TRANSIT to start with."