Assembly Candidate Calls For Better Public Transit In NJ-27

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A New Jersey Assembly candidate is calling for better public transit options in one of the most densely populated parts of the state.

Rohit Dave, a Millburn resident, is running as a Democrat in the 27th district in 2025.

The district includes the towns of Livingston, Millburn, Montclair, Roseland and West Orange in Essex County, and Clifton in Passaic County. Learn more about his campaign platform here.

Dave’s recent op-ed follows below:

Amid Return to Office, Congestion Pricing, and Summers of Hell, NJ Transit Needs to Switch Tracks

"Over the past few years, large swaths of New Jersey have become public transportation deserts. This is unacceptable—and it’s time for change.

"Newcomers to Montclair often choose it as their new home because of the easy access to New York City. While true for weekday commuters, many may be surprised to learn that the Montclair-Boonton Line has been without full weekend train service for decades. In 2009, NJ Transit added limited Saturday and Sunday trains, but only from Bay Street in Montclair to Hoboken. Those trains stop at just four stations, and yet they are often standing-room only, demonstrating demand for more frequent service.

"Residents of Upper Montclair, Little Falls, Wayne, Lincoln Park, Montville, Boonton, Mountain Lakes, and communities farther west are still waiting. This isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s about equity. A monthly train pass from Watchung Avenue costs the same $240 as a pass from South Orange. The South Orange rider can use the train any day of the week, but the Watchung commuter gets five days of service—five-sevenths the value for the same price.

"Regional access worsened in 2023 when DeCamp Bus Lines shut down commuter bus routes to New York City. NJ Transit stepped in, but only with limited weekday rush hour service. Suddenly, entire communities—including Verona, the Caldwells, Upper Montclair, and parts of Clifton—became isolated on weekends. West Orange once had multiple express weekday buses each morning, hourly service throughout the day, and several return express buses from New York. Now, following the NJ Transit takeover, West Orange has no bus service, with some riders opting to go to Verona where the last bus departs at 8:30 a.m., and the last bus back leaves New York at 7:30 p.m. Livingston has faced similar issues. While Coach USA offers some residents a substitute, private bus services do not have a strong history of reliably supporting commuter routes–with many going out of business, charging higher fares, or not being integrated into the system to cross-honor tickets and transfers.

"Of course, congestion pricing now impacts drivers entering Manhattan—even as we wait for what the courts decide after Trump’s Department of Transportation pulled support and Governor Hochul’s decision to fight. The outcry against congestion pricing was loud from Governor Murphy, Congressman Gottheimer, Congresswoman Sherrill, and other NJ officials, but they missed the bigger picture that the tax is particularly offensive because we don’t have confidence in our own public transit alternatives. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who is running for Governor of New Jersey, has suggested a reverse congestion toll. Regardless of the merits of this idea, driving NY back to the bargaining table to create a regional solution that can generate funds to invest into our rails and buses to support our shared economies is critical.

"We can start small but have eyes on the long-term goal of creating a world class public transit system. The Gateway Program’s new tunnels and rehabilitation that promise to increase capacity to and from NY Penn Station are still at least a decade away. Let’s start fixing transit now by prioritizing and restoring bus service to pre-pandemic levels, especially since so many residents have been given no choice by their employers but to return to the office. Let’s get additional weekend train service from Montclair to Hoboken, where riders can connect to the PATH and ferries. And while our connecting train tunnels are operating at near capacity, let’s revisit schedules to ensure we are not being overly conservative and instead are basing timetables on real-time information about tunnel closures and repairs.

"Students, workers, families, and even those who don’t take the train (but suffer from increased traffic congestion) would all benefit from better service. Communities would enjoy greater access and a boost to local economies. The demand is there. The need is urgent. Let’s fix NJ Transit."

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