NJ Transit Cracking Down on Fake Tickets

NJ Transit bills itself as “the way to go.” But not if you’re trying to get there using a phony ticket.

At a press conference in Newark Monday, spokespeople from the agency and its law enforcement arm announced that there will be stepped-up efforts to identify those riding light rail, buses or trains using counterfeit tickets, the agency said in a statement.  

“The new procedures being implemented today will protect the interests of our law-abiding customers – and protect the interests of hard-working New Jersey taxpayers,” said NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein.  “Whether you are a customer hailing a bus in Newark, boarding a light rail vehicle in Camden or taking one of our trains from Trenton to New York - you have been personally impacted by these criminal acts.”

According to the agency, the use of bogus tickets has continued to climb, with more than 200 arrests in the last two years alone.

To combat the problem, train crews began using scanners designed to inspect weekly and monthly rail passes. Legitimate passes contain anti-counterfeit features detectable with the scanners. False tickets are a particular problem on trains.

Fare collectors on the light rail system will also use the scanners, along with plainclothes and uniformed police aboard buses.