Earlier this week the Port Authority and NJ Transit announced a pilot whereby contactless bank cards would be used to pay fares at PATH stations and on two NJ Transit bus routes connecting to PATH stations. The pilot, a partnership with MasterCard, will begin early next year. Cards used during the pilot would be technologically compatible with the smart card readers currently being tested at selected NYC subway stations, though the agencies did not say for sure whether the cards could actually be used to pay fares for all three agencies. (Presumably, this would be contingent on discussions with the MTA.)
Of course, free transfers between PATH and NJ Transit would do more to increase ridership, but the pilot is another step towards the creation of a regional fare media and a welcome continuation of the region’s trend towards integration. PATH took its first major step in this direction in 2005, when it began accepting the MTA’s MetroCard (see MTR #504).
Regionalism Pays Off for Agencies
The benefits of fare integration and system connectivity have also been felt in Westchester County, Staten Island, and Connecticut.
Earlier this month, Westchester County DOT announced a 6.5% increase in Bee-Line bus ridership, propelled by the Bee-Line’s adoption of MetroCard last April (MTR predicted a MetroCard-caused ridership boom in MTR #543). The adoption of MetroCard enabled free transfers between Bee-Line and MTA buses and subways, resulting in huge gains on lines connecting Westchester and New York City — including a 20% increase in ridership on Route 20, which connects Yonkers, White Plains, and the Bronx. As a result Westchester DOT is increasing service on four routes which connect to Bronx subway stations.
Last month, the SI Advance reported that the MTA was increasing service on the S89 bus, which started service last September and connects Staten Islanders to Bayonne’s 34th Street Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station (see MTR #562). Since September, ridership on the route has doubled to between 800-900 daily. NJ Transit offers a combination 30-day MetroCard and light rail pass on its website.
CTTRANSIT’s I-Bus, which connects White Plains and Stamford, also saw an 11% increase in ridership in 2007. The 10-year-old service is funded by the Connecticut and New York Departments of Transportation.
