Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday announced a transit fare holiday for all New Jersey Transit customers from Aug. 26 through Sept. 2. Murphy said fares will be waived for all modes of transportation, offering free rides across the network as a “thank you” to the hundreds of thousands of loyal customers who depend on public transit.
“Understanding that our commuters have faced many disruptions this summer, we are providing a one-week fare holiday for NJ Transit riders,” Murphy said in his announcement of the fare holiday. “As we work diligently with Amtrak to investigate and address the issues that have occurred this summer, especially on the Northeast Corridor, we hope this fare holiday offers our commuters some relief. 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.”
Not everyone is thrilled, however.
New Jersey Business & Industry Association CEO & President Michele Siekerka said in a statement that the business industry understands the affordability challenges facing NJ Transit riders, but the fare holiday on the heels of a massive corporate tax increase is a frustrating message that totally disregards the business community.
“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,” Siekerka said. “That gives them the largest Corporate Business Tax rate in the nation, by far, on top of other sky-high business taxes. And it required legislative approval.
“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.
“New Jersey businesses aren’t asking for a free ride. But they are asking for fairness. Today’s announcement sadly smacks of unfairness to New Jersey’s business community.”
New Jersey Chamber of Commerce CEO & President Tom Bracken agreed.
“We understand the benevolent spirit in which Gov. Murphy announced the NJ Transit fare holiday,” he said in a statement. “However, coming less than two months after a debate concluded regarding the agency’s dire fiscal health, and the need for the business community to come to its rescue, this begs the question as to which is better — a fare holiday or keeping the money to address the financial woes of NJ Transit?
“We would have preferred the latter.”
