Fair Fares NJ calls on New Jersey to establish discounted transit fares for low-income riders as transportation and other living costs continue to rise.

NEWARK, NJ — JULY 29, 2026 — A coalition of transportation, environmental, planning, labor, and policy organizations today launched Fair Fares NJ, a new statewide campaign calling on New Jersey to make public transportation more affordable by establishing discounted NJ TRANSIT fares for low-income riders.

The coalition includes Tri-State Transportation Campaign, New Jersey Policy Perspective, Regional Plan Association, New Jersey Future, Hudson County Complete Streets, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, Isles, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, Bergen County Complete Streets, 32BJ SEIU, and the Jersey City Mutual Aid Society.

The campaign comes as New Jerseyans continue to face rising costs for housing, food, transportation, and other necessities. NJ TRANSIT riders are also confronting automatic annual fare increases, making the cost of getting to work, school, healthcare, and other essential destinations an increasingly significant burden for lower-income households.

“Transportation should expand opportunity, not create financial barriers,” said Renae Reynolds, Executive Director of Tri-State Transportation Campaign. ​“For New Jerseyans who rely on NJ TRANSIT every day, the cost of a bus or train ride can determine whether they can get to work, make a medical appointment, attend school, or meet their family’s basic needs. New Jersey has made a commitment to maintaining and improving its transit system. Now we need to make sure the people who depend on that system can afford to use it.”

Fair Fares NJ is calling for the creation of a statewide program that would provide reduced NJ TRANSIT fares to income-eligible riders. Similar programs in other transit systems have demonstrated how targeted fare assistance can help ensure that transportation costs do not become a barrier to jobs, education, healthcare, and other necessities.

For New Jersey residents who rely on public transportation, rising fares compound an already significant affordability challenge. Lower-income households often spend a disproportionate share of their income on transportation and have the least flexibility to absorb regular fare increases.

“New Jersey is rightly investing billions of dollars to modernize and improve NJ TRANSIT, but affordability has to be part of that conversation,” said Zoe Baldwin, Vice President for State Programs at Regional Plan Association. ​“A transit system only provides access to opportunity if people can afford to ride it. Fair Fares would provide meaningful relief to New Jerseyans who need it most while helping ensure that our public investment in transit serves everyone.”

The coalition will work with transit riders, community organizations, policymakers, and advocates across the state to build support for a Fair Fares program and ensure that the experiences of riders are central to its design.

​“Providing affordable transportation to working-class New Jerseyans is crucial for households across the state,” said Johan Andrade, President of Hudson County Complete Streets. ​“Trenton should be doing everything possible to ensure NJ TRANSIT is available for everyone that needs it, and Fair Fares NJ is a big step towards achieving that.”

“NJ Transit’s current fares are anything but fair,” said Alex Ambrose, Senior Policy Analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective. ​“By making transit more affordable, New Jersey gives people more ways to get to work, school, tourism, and everywhere else they need to be. No matter what you earn, you deserve to have affordable transit.”

“Reliable, affordable public transportation is a necessity for all New Jerseyans, specifically those in lower-income areas” said Melissa Miles, Executive Director, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance. ​“Too many are disconnected from the arteries of public transit either by distance or by finance. Instead of bridging the gaps, transit policy has widened them by increasing fares without growing access. Solutions abound - just listen to the people.”

“Every day, thousands of New Jersey workers rely on public transportation to get to work, support their families, and keep our communities running,” said Ana Maria Hill, Vice President and NJ State Director, 32BJ SEIU. ​“Affordable transit is a necessity. 32BJ SEIU is proud to support the Fair Fares NJ campaign because as the cost-of-living rises, no worker should have to choose between getting to work and paying for other basic needs. Reducing transit costs for low-income riders will help create greater opportunity for working people across our state. The time is now. Let’s build on the regional momentum for Fair Fares accelerated by last month’s large expansion of New York City’s program.”

“As a policy advocate with Isles, I believe transportation is more than getting from one place to another. It is about access, economic mobility, and opportunity,” said Quayshaun Willams, State Policy Associate at Isles. ​“The Fair Fares campaign is an important step toward ensuring every New Jerseyan can stay connected to the jobs, education, and services that strengthen our communities.”

“Affordable public transportation is essential to ensuring every New Jerseyan can get to work, school, appointments, and other everyday destinations affordably and on time. A statewide Fair Fares program will make transit more accessible for working families while encouraging more people to choose buses and trains over cars,” said Allison McLeod, Interim Executive Director, New Jersey LCV. ​“That’s good for household budgets, good for our communities, and good for our environment. We are proud to support the Fair Fares Campaign and its vision for a more affordable, equitable, and sustainable transportation system.”

“For too long New Jersey has prioritized spending on the wants of drivers over the needs of transit riders to the detriment of everyone,” said Patrick DiRoma, Co-Founder of Bergen County Complete Streets. ​“We believe it is long past due to make meaningful investments in the future of our state in the form of better transit access for hard working New Jerseyans.”

Fair Fares NJ is guided by a simple principle: a strong public transportation system must not only be reliable and accessible, but affordable. Making transit more affordable can expand access to jobs and economic opportunity, support ridership, reduce inequities, and help make New Jersey a more affordable place to live.

To learn more about the campaign, get involved, and take action, visit FairFaresNJ.org.