New Jersey's Transit Investment Falls as Use Grows, Report Finds
- Dwindling funding leads leads agency to raise fares five times
- Commuters are frustrated paying more for less-reliable service
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New Jersey’s capital investment in public transit has fallen 19 percent since 2002, even as ridership has grown by 20 percent, according to a coalition pushing for more spending.
Funding for New Jersey Transit in the annual state budget fallen even more, to about $33 million from $350 million in 2005 when adjusted for inflation, according to a report released Thursday by New Jersey for Transit. The drop has led the nation’s third-largest commuter system to raise fares five times since 2002, and divert money for capital improvements to cover operating costs, the group said.