By Walter Elliott
EAST ORANGE – “You’ll have to pay for it now,” was the refrain that a New Jersey Transit bus driver made to a rider while she boarded a Linden-bound No. 94 at the Prospect Avenue and Renshaw Street stop around 9:30 a.m. Aug. 5.
“Let me look,” said the rider, who sorted through her change while finding a seat nearest to the driver. The No. 94 NABI coach continued through the Presidential Heights/Upsala section while the rider found and deposited her coins in the farebox.
The above example, commonplace in pre-COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus pandemic times, was found on the dozens of local NJTransit bus trips “Local Talk” took since the practice was resumed Aug. 4.
NJTransit, after suspending cash fare collection and front door boarding April 9 as a pandemic spread curb, resumed the over century old practice Monday morning.
The statewide public agency had been rolling out advance word on the inevitable resumption since Executive Director Kevin Corbett’s July 29 declaration. “Local Talk,” for example, began hearing news reports on the radio later that Wednesday.
“No Cash” and “Rear Door Boarding Only” signs began coming off buses that same day. Copies of an eight-paragraph announcement were posted in transit stations, bus shelters and on nearby utility poles early July 30.
On board recordings of taking cash and front door boarding were being played July 31. The new message was sometimes played with the older, “wear your mask” and “50-percent capacity” recordings.
“Local Talk,” who took 24 rides on NJTransit local buses Monday-Wednesday, found near-uniformity of front door and farebox use.
Only one southbound 13 bus on Newark’s Broadway Aug. 4 had riders board by the rear door. One rider on a Montclair-bound 29 needed help from colleagues to make change.
Some of the more savvy riders knew that the ear of “free” bus rides would end – it was a question of when.
NJTransit had suspended front door boarding and cash fare collection for the safety of its drivers and the riding public.
The agency, on one hand, encouraged riders to buy and display paper ride tickets or passes the last five months. NJTransit, this same week, announced that Newark Light Rail/City Subway riders can now buy single ride tickets on its cell phone app.
There was no means, for the most part, for drivers to collect the paper tickets. Drivers of routes contracted out by NJT, like the Jersey City No. 80S buses, taped up paper envelopes along rails to collect tickets.
This “free ride” sun had never shone on the Nos. 24, 31 and 44 buses. CoachUSA’s local route drivers took riders through their front doors so they could collect tickets and cash.
The Aug. 4 resumption is part of NJTransit and the state’s climb to recovery. Commuter rail conductors had been taking cash on-board since July 5.
Neither Corbett nor Gov. Phil Murphy have mentioned that NJTransit was taking a major hit at the farebox. Garden State riders have generally paid two-thirds of what it actually costs to run a bus or a train. This makes New Jersey one of the highest farebox revenue recovery states in the nation.
Both have tied banning cash fare collection as a health measure – along with “the installation of new safety barriers for the drivers.
Supposedly retrofitting NJTransit’s bus fleet with these new barriers was not unheard of. The MTA’s New York City Bus Operations were also making barriers in June with an eye towards their collecting cash fares in August.
Whatever these new barriers are, “Local Talk” has not seen them so far Aug. 3-5.
While “Local Talk” applauds NJTransit for putting light rail tickets on its app, it still finds buying physical two or plus zone tickets an exercise in pre-planning.
One is able to easily buy two zone, three zone and so on tickets at Newark’s Penn and Broad Street stations. There is no such option on the old and new Ticket Vending Machines at Newark Branch Brook Park Station.
One can buy 10-trip tickets or monthly two, three or four zone monthly passes from the TVMs there. That is great for those using the Newark Light Rail or Subway.
It would be more convenient to have single two-plus zone tickets there for those who take connecting buses. The 27, 90, 92 and 99 buses are two zone routes; the 74 into Paterson is a four-zone route.
There are hand-made posted signs at the Irvington Bus Terminal the last three weeks, declaring “We’re open for tickets.” This is a small step towards reopening bus terminals and railroad stations beyond Newark or Hoboken.
The signs, however, never say when Irvington’s ticket booth is open. It has never been open during the daylight weekdays “Local Talk” has visited. This must be frustrating for other riders, since the Irvington Bus Terminal has been billed as NJTransit’s second or third busiest.
Perhaps NJTransit should consider installing one of the new TVMs on Irvington terminal’s center island.
