Aug. 16 (UPI) – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced a week of free public transit to compensate for the disruptions that occurred over the summer.
In a statement Thursday, the Democratic governor said the NJ Transit network will be free from August 26 to September 2.
Monthly pass holders who have already purchased their August pass will receive a 25 percent discount on their September monthly pass, he said.
He described the measure as “a fare exemption” and a “thank you” to the hundreds of thousands who use this service every day for their commutes.
“As we work diligently with Amtrak to investigate and resolve issues that have arisen this summer, particularly on the Northeast Corridor, we hope this fare waiver will provide some relief to our commuters,” he said.
“We also encourage New Jerseyans to take advantage of this opportunity, and we remain grateful to the many New Jerseyans who rely on public transportation.”
According to the governor’s office, NJ Transit experienced service disruptions over the summer, particularly on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, the busiest corridor in the country.
While work is still underway to determine the cause of the outages, the governor’s office said “significant short-term measures” have already been implemented, including increased inspections of equipment on platforms and increased inspections and repairs of overhead lines, track signaling systems and substations.
“The fare waiver is a way to express our sincere appreciation for the continued loyalty and support of our customers, especially during a time when public transit has not always met their expectations – or our own,” the governor’s office said in a statement.
“NJ Transit recognizes the impact these service issues have had over the past few months and remains committed to improving the travel experience for transit customers.”
