JERSEY CITY- Mayor Steven M. Fulop along with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and a group called New Jersey for Transit issued a statement on July 15 condemning New Jersey Transit’s decision to raise fares by nine percent and eliminate six bus lines and two train lines, which was approved despite viable immediate and long-term solutions presented by the “Fight the Hike Campaign.”
“While I am disappointed in today’s decision by the NJ Transit Board members, I am not surprised as this has been the pattern of leadership at the agency,” said Mayor Fulop. “NJ Transit should be exploring the expansion of transit and building the strong transit system commuters deserve to create long-term sustainability as we outlined. Working families in Jersey City don’t need an added tax and there are alternative measures to fixing NJ Transit’s budget issues.”
The latest fare hike by New Jersey Transit’s is the fifth since 2002 and will affect the 47.3 percent of Jersey City residents who rely on mass transit to get to and from work, Fulop said.
Mayor Fulop in partnership with ATU launched in May an aggressive campaign called “Fight the Hike,” a non-profit entity, to raise awareness around NJ Transit’s fare hike and service cut proposal.
The Fight the Hike Campaign presented a three-pronged approach to eliminate the $60 million NJ Transit budget shortfall. The measures outlined included requiring NJ Transit to sell all vacant parcels of land owned by the agency statewide, establishing Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in urban areas as well as suburbs, and expanding bus and train capacity as ridership increases.
Fulop joins transit union in opposing NJ Transit fare hike
