NJ Transit chief: Will try to hold hikes to single digits

NJ Transit chief: Will try to hold hikes to single digits

MARCH 11, 2015, 11:03 AM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015, 4:38 PM
BY DAVID PORTER
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEWARK — Rail and bus commuters facing potential fare hikes likely won’t see increases as high as they did in 2010 when fares rose an average of more than 20 percent, the head of the North Jersey Transportation Authority said Wednesday.

Executive Director Ronnie Hakim told board members that a looming $80 million budget gap is forcing her to look at all options, including fare increases. She said that if increases become necessary, her goal is to make them less burdensome for commuters.

The last fare hikes averaged 22 percent across the system and were accompanied by service cuts and the elimination of off-peak discounts.

What happened in 2010 “was very harsh for our customers and we’re doing everything to significantly avoid any recommendation remotely like that,” she said. “So I would like to stay in the single digits.”

In an accident of timing, Hakim’s comments came on a day when four of NJ Transit’s rail lines were suspended temporarily, with two of the suspensions occurring during the morning commute — one due to police and fire activity and another due to a trespasser fatality on the tracks.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/nj-transit-chief-will-try-to-hold-hikes-to-single-digits-1.1286555