Good morning. My name is Talia Crawford, I’m the Advocacy and Organizing Manager at Tri-State
Transportation Campaign. TSTC is a non-profit advocacy and policy organization, dedicated to fighting for improved mobility, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability in NY, NJ, and CT. I’m here in opposition of the proposed fare hikes.

For years, transit advocates have been saying that without a stable and dedicated funding source for NJ
Transit, riders will face unjust and unfair fare hikes and service cuts. Today we have reached that
juncture–the proposed 15% increase that would begin on July 1st of this year and a 3% increase annually
is going to create a financial barrier for riders. NJ Transit’s budget should not be balanced on the backs of riders. Because public transportation has not been prioritized like other essential utilities in the state of
New Jersey, it has been extremely underfunded. NJ Transit has had to make due with what they have,
continuing with the practice of capital to operating transfers to pursue preventative maintenance
measures. This has diverted almost $10 billion away from expanding service, redesigning routes,
electrifying the bus fleet and modernizing infrastructure. All of this plus the residual impacts of COVID, like decreased ridership have led the agency to almost a billion dollar deficit by FY 26.

Just last week, Governor Murphy proposed a dedicated funding source for NJ Transit, the “corporate
business fee,” which is estimated to generate $800 million for NJ Transit. This alone is almost enough to
cover the agency’s budget deficit. It’s a shame that NJ Transit must vote on this tremendous fare increase before knowing if this funding mechanism is going to be passed by New Jersey’s legislature, but even if this isn’t passed there are plenty of other viable funding mechanisms that can alleviate NJ Transit’s budget crisis besides a double digit fare hike, like increasing the NJ Turnpike Authority’s annual
contributions to the agency, diverting money for highway expansion to NJ Transit. Fare hikes should be
a last resort option.

This proposal will place a considerable burden on New Jerseyans, especially our most vulnerable populations who rely on public transit for their daily needs. Over 270 million passengers a year depend on the system to get to work, school, essential services, and social engagements. 15% increase on their transportation costs has a huge impact. Please reconsider this fare increase–NJ riders deserve service that is affordable, accessible, reliable, and sustainable.