Better Service

New Jersey is famous for its robust highway system. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, on average 73% of New Jersey residents in Regional Plan Association (RPA)’s coverage area commuted to work by driving in a car by themselves and 8% car-pooled. In contrast, on average 10% of residents used some form of public transportation.

In a state dominated by car usage, car access levels vary by race and by location, with urban areas tending to have less car access. In 2017, 11% of all New Jersey households lacked access to a personal automobile, but in Newark, that percentage climbed to 38%.

Commute times are also correlated with how residents get to work. Residents of New Jersey in RPA’s coverage area who drove alone to work reported an average travel time of approximately 30 minutes. In contrast, those who relied on various forms of public transportation traveled on average 75 minutes to work. As the population of New Jersey has grown, the transportation system has struggled to meet demand.

The COVID-19 pandemic that hit New Jersey in spring 2020 dealt a heavy blow to NJ Transit. After Governor Phil Murphy announced a stay at home order for all residents save for essential personnel on March 21st, 2020, ridership levels on NJ Transit overall dropped by roughly 90%.

Due to the impact that COVID-19 has had on the economy and the perception of risk for riders, despite growing evidence that public transportation is not implicated in COVID-19 transmission, ridership levels remain low. NJ Transit interstate rail and bus ridership between New Jersey and New York was down 80% and 67% respectively in August 2020, compared to last year.

Analysis of Census data shows that 36% of transit riders are hospital staff, grocery store workers, pharmacists, and social service providers whose presence at work is critical to the economy’s safe and healthy functioning. In New Jersey, the most common occupations of active transit riders were healthcare and pharmaceuticals. Keeping transit service in place at pre-pandemic levels is necessary not only for the health of these workers, but for critical food, health, and safety services to be available to all.

A NJ Transit survey in April 2020 found that 46% of local bus riders in Northern New Jersey continued to use the system to get to work at least once a week. This was a much larger proportion than interstate rail and bus riders, at 12% and 21%, respectively. A subsequent NJ Transit survey in late June showed that local bus riders were returning in even greater force. 63% of regular local bus riders in Northern New Jersey were using the system to get to work at least once a week in late June. In contrast, interstate rail and bus ridership remained low, with only 25% and 38% of riders traveling for work on NJ Transit at least once a week. Local bus riders in Northern New Jersey were also on-site for work on average three days a week, while interstate rail and bus riders were only on-site one to two days per week. These survey results strongly demonstrate that local bus riders in Northern New Jersey are particularly dependent on a well-functioning public transportation system.

COVID-19 has exposed many divisions within our country. Frontline workers have jobs that cannot easily be performed at home, and are often less wealthy and have fewer transportation options compared to interstate bus and rail passengers. This is especially true for frontline workers that live in urban areas, who often don’t have access to cars. Frontline workers are also disproportionately female and people of color, according to an analysis of federal data. The needs of frontline workers during this pandemic have stressed the need for improvements to local bus service overall, including reversing ingrained transportation system management practices that have historically privileged typically white, wealthier car drivers.

Small-scale bus improvements have already begun to be made. In order to accommodate frontline workers, NJ Transit put in place a variety of measures, including rear-door boarding on bus routes where possible, enhanced cleaning efforts, and requiring face coverings on board buses, inside stations, and at bus stops when social distancing was not possible. NJ Transit also updated its ticket app in September 2020 with information regarding crowding conditions on buses and trains, with green, yellow, and red icons to demonstrate how many passengers were already on board.

Bus rider satisfaction actually rose during the pandemic, which may be attributed to these small-scale improvements made by NJ Transit, as well as better bus on-time performance in recent months. In late 2019, bus on-time performance hovered just below 90%, but by late July 2020, it had reached 98%, reflecting possible reduced impedance from car-caused congestion.

Additional efforts to address the potential spread of COVID-19, such as greater spacing between passengers and more frequent local bus service during peak hours, would make bus riders feel more at ease. A June 2020 survey reported that 25% of local bus riders in Northern New Jersey found it hard to maintain a safe social distance from others while onboard. This was the highest percentage of all rider types surveyed, including Access Link, light rail, and interstate rail and bus. Additional safety measures will increase operating costs and ultimately add to stresses on NJ Transit’s budget.

COVID-19’s impacts on transit ridership, revenue, and the resources available in the state budget come after a decade in which state policies have starved transit of needed funding. Fare increases in 2010 and 2015 increased passenger costs. Reductions in funding from the state budget to nearly zero between 2013 and 2016 made it necessary to divert money to transit operations from programs intended for other capital investment purposes. The result of these fiscal policies was a reduction in the resources available for investing in equipment, systems, and facilities and an increase in customer costs. Ramifications included increased crowding and reduced service reliability.

In 2017, state policies began to turn around past transit funding fiscal practices, with increased support for transit coming from the state budget. The publication in spring 2020 of a new NJ Transit Strategic Plan and a first-ever Capital Plan made it clear what would be the projects and programs put at risk by continued diversions of capital funds to operating budgets - a process similar to using the college fund to pay for weekly groceries. Despite these important new efforts, the lack of new sources of transit-supporting revenues continues to put pressure on capital budgets to fill budget gaps.

It is against this background that COVID-19’s impacts on transit ridership, revenue, and the resources available in the state budget now put pressure on the Governor and Legislature to do everything possible to find the funding needed to ensure continuity of transit services for those who need it most.

Federal CARES Act COVID-19 relief funding provided NJ Transit with $1.4 billion in funds to make up for increased costs of COVID-19 response and for revenues lost as ridership plummeted. NJ Transit leaders estimate that this funding will enable the system to continue providing service at pre-pandemic levels through the middle of 2021. However, the FY 2021 budget continues to rely on capital to operating transfers, perpetuating corrosive past funding practices. Moreover, without clear sources of new funds to meet FY 2022 needs, the prospect of fare increases and service reductions looms ominously.

Raising fares is untenable because of the potential impacts on those who have been among the hardest hit by the economic downtown, and because fares have already been increased during the past decade to make up for reductions in support to NJ Transit from the state budget. Not only that, but NJ Transit riders already pay a larger share of transit operating costs than riders in almost any other region of the country.

The new funds that are needed to maintain fares and transit service at pre-pandemic levels must come either from further federal COVID-19 relief or from increased public revenues generated within the state. NJ Transit has identified $1.2 billion in additional funding support beyond the original CARES relief as the amount needed to help the agency make up for pandemic-related fare revenue losses through FY 2022 while also protecting service and riders’ pocketbooks. New Jersey’s federal delegation has been working hard to secure this and other federal COVID-relief funds, but there is no certainty of success.

Possibilities for new state funding for transit are on the horizon, but are far from certain. The recently passed NJ state budget increases the income tax for high earners, which is estimated to result in $390 million of revenue. However, dedication of funds to transit and greater general fund revenue increases are still necessary to ensure that NJ Transit receives the resources it needs to make up for COVID-19-related revenue losses, preserve service and fares at pre-pandemic levels, and support needed capital investment in the transit system.

A commitment earlier this year by New Jersey’s Transportation Commissioner, Diane Gutierrez to make available for NJ Transit $375 million raised from toll hikes - increasing by 3% per year to an ultimate level of $525 million per year - would be a significant addition of needed funding, and is a commitment that should be honored. However, the impact of the pandemic on future toll revenue receipts and the potential for state budget support being reduced proportionally as a result of pandemic-related economic impacts together make the viability and net impact of this commitment uncertain.

To do this, additional new sources of revenue that can support transit operations must be identified, including among others a restoration of the sales tax and a permanent extension of business income tax surcharges. RPA also continues to support the imposition of fees on carbon emissions as a source of revenue for green and equitable investments such as transit.

For years, NJ Transit has received insufficient funds from the state budget and has diverted money for capital improvements to fill the resulting budget gaps to support operations. This shortchanging of NJ Transit’s budget has starved the agency of equipment, support systems, customer-focused information, and passenger amenities. The Governor and Legislature must come together to increase the annual operating support provided to NJ Transit so that bus and rail service can be expanded, capital funds can be used for the system maintenance, expansion, and improvement investments they are intended for, and transit’s cost burden on NJ Transit riders can be kept from expanding.

With more than 250 bus routes and a fleet of around 2,200 buses, NJ Transit is one of the largest providers of public transportation in the country. Prior to COVID-19’s impacts on transit ridership, on an average weekday last year, there were about a half a million passenger trips on NJ Transit buses. This is almost twice the number of passenger trips taken on its rail lines. Of New Jersey’s 565 municipalities, 385 have bus service, with over 16,000 stops.

For one of the largest bus systems in the country, however, NJ Transit does not have access to many dedicated bus lanes.

The economic status of NJ Transit riders differs significantly from one transportation system to another. Interstate bus and rail riders tend to have higher household incomes on average, with half of interstate bus riders and two-thirds of rail riders reporting annual household incomes over $100,000. In contrast, intrastate or local bus riders are more likely to struggle economically, with more than 50% reporting annual household incomes under $35,000.

NJ Transit has made progress since 2018 to improve bus service throughout the state, including adding more than 90 new scheduled bus trips a day and hiring more than 700 new bus operators, but more work is ahead.

As mentioned earlier, more than one-third of all households in Newark do not have access to a car. In 2019, a survey of bus riders in Newark and in neighboring Elizabeth, NJ by Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC) found that 73% of riders rode buses to commute to work, and 40% of riders rode buses to get to non-work destinations, such as school, medical offices, and grocery and retail locations. Efficient and reliable bus service is key for many residents of Newark.

Long Commutes

NJ Transit’s legacy of unreliable and inadequate funding over the past decade has contributed to degraded transit, and Newark’s bus network has not avoided the performance issues experienced by the system as a whole. Local policies that prioritize auto use such as traffic signals that favor cars over buses and pedestrians, parking minimums for new construction, and parking lot investments have also degraded transit travel time and reliability, contributing to declining transit travel to and within Newark and other urban centers. In 2019, riders in Newark frequently experienced late buses. Over 60% of bus riders surveyed by TSTC reported that their bus arrived late to their stop an average of three or more times a week, with delays often stretching to 15 minutes or later. While the average commute time to a job in Newark is 35 minutes, it takes much longer for a bus rider to get to work than a driver.

Drivers from Neighboring Communities Slow Bus Riders in Newark

Every day, 120,000 commuters travel to jobs in Newark. Most of these trips are by car and the vast majority come from nearby communities. In addition, in the morning rush hour alone, another 20,000 vehicles pass through downtown Newark on trips that start and end outside of the city, congesting traffic, slowing transit, creating hazards for pedestrians, and worsening local air quality. 74% of respondents in a recent rider survey listed traffic as the cause of their bus delay.

Dangerous Streets

Bus riders in Newark usually begin their trips as pedestrians. By numerous metrics, Newark’s streets are hazardous, creating a major disincentive to bus ridership.

According to the FY 2018 New Jersey Highway Safety Plan, there were 2,489 crashes involving pedestrians in Newark between 2011 and 2015, and 25,427 total crashes involving pedestrians in the state. In 2013, more than a third of Newark’s traffic fatalities involved pedestrians compared to 24% in the state overall.

In 2011, the Federal Highway Administration (FHA)’s Focused Approach to Safety program identified Newark as a focus city for safety. A more recent collection of data by Newark’s Department of Engineering revealed that between January 2017 and February 2020, there were 96 reported instances of pedestrians being struck by automobiles along Broad Street between I-280 and Lincoln Park. Pedestrians were at greatest risk on Broad Street between Market and Raymond, just where bus ridership and bus-to-bus transfers are most intense in the city.

Making Bus Riders a Priority

Many stakeholders, including residents, local community groups, urban planners, and transit advocates, have been recommending improvements for New Jersey’s local bus system for years. In recent years, numerous studies have recommended improvements to local bus service in Newark and in Northern New Jersey overall. These include having buses that are more frequent, faster, and more reliable, bus stops that are safer, more convenient, and more pleasant to walk and bike to, new bus rapid transit (BRT) routes, and a bus network that reflects contemporary travel patterns.

Starting in 2018, NJ Transit has taken measures to improve its overall performance. It conducted a performance audit, trained more than 700 new bus operators, and ordered more than 360 Cruiser buses and 85 Articulated buses.

NJ Transit also added bus service on several routes in 2018 and 2019, though service was reduced on some routes during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, NJ Transit unveiled its first 10-Year Strategic Plan as well as a 5-Year Capital Plan to improve trip speed, safety, and reliability. Within the next two years, NJ Transit plans to study how best to redesign its bus network to expand service in underserved communities. It will also begin bus prioritization pilots and bus rapid transit (BRT) to improve performance, as well as modernize its fleet. In Northern New Jersey, NJ Transit plans to replace its current 40-foot buses with new 60-foot articulating buses to increase capacity.

The challenges that NJ Transit faces are great. Management and funding issues have reduced reliability, and the COVID-19 pandemic has added new stresses to NJ Transit by reducing ridership revenues and deepening deficits, which, if unaddressed, may result ultimately in major service reductions.

The Governor, Legislature, NJ Transit and NJDOT can play a role supporting frontline workers using transportation tools, especially by prioritizing buses.

NJ Transit runs and owns the buses. It also needs to provide high quality service, and to use fare systems and provide rider information that makes transit easy and intuitive to use.

Municipalities, counties, and the State of New Jersey each have responsibilities for the streets that buses run on, including managing lanes and signals, setting and enforcing rules, and maintaining roads in a state of good repair. Local governments are responsible for providing and maintaining bus shelters, and for providing benches, lighting, information, and other amenities, as well as for making sure routes to bus stops are safe and accessible. Local governments are also needed to lead, communicate, and coordinate the activities of everyone whose action is needed to support equitable growth with transit-priority investment.

While bus transit routes operate on facilities not directly owned or managed by the state, the NJ Department of Transportation can bring resources to improve bus performance. These include supporting planning studies, funding bus-supportive investments by cities and counties, funding pedestrian safety and traffic calming plans and projects in bus transit corridors, and supporting signal timing on local facilities that gives preference to buses even if that affects auto delays on state-managed facilities.

Finally, the Legislature and Governor of the State of New Jersey are needed to fund NJ Transit and to set priorities for transit performance in the state.