Good evening. My name is Stephanie Chernyavsky and I am a summer fellow with Tri-State Transportation Campaign. We’re a nonprofit that works towards sustainable and equitable urban planning and transit in the tri-state area. I’m here today to voice my opposition to the 15% fare hike for New Jersey Transit. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak.

Approximately four million New Jersey residents take public transportation, many of whom are essential workers and do not have the money to purchase and maintain a personal vehicle. A large proportion of these riders are low income and would be disproportionately affected by the fare hike. Now that the state has approved the corporate transit fee, it is especially unfair to expect the ordinary transit riders to still bear the burden of funding this struggling transit system. The corporate transit fee should be put towards covering the necessary costs, namely New Jersey Transit’s nearly 1 billion dollar budget deficit—an amount which the fee is expected to raise close to in its first year alone. Despite a source of reliable funding being enacted, the hike is still in effect, only adding increased struggle to pay onto people already struggling with inconsistent service and delays. After years of having NJ Transit’s projected budget in the negatives, why are we putting the burden onto riders when the revenue from the CTF will more than cover all of NJT’s debt, and more, during the time it is in effect?

As someone who depends on public transportation, I understand the frustration that comes with experiencing fare hikes when service is in such a poor state. Being expected to pay an additional 15% per trip to take a train or a bus that is 30 minutes late, 90 minutes late, or even just completely canceled at the last minute is insane. I have spoken directly with several New Jersey residents who have recently been missing shifts at work, due to service being so unreliable that they have no choice but to give up on waiting at their station and return home several mornings a week. Not only is their employment potentially in jeopardy, but they are also concerned with how poor service can lead to economic issues, with so much money being lost as a result of delays.

The people of New Jersey do not deserve this, and they definitely do not deserve to pay extra for it. I urge the board to reconsider these fare hikes, and do better by their riders.