February 26, 2007
NJT-07-013

NEWARK, NJ — NJ TRANSIT will hold the first of 13 scheduled public hearings and informational sessions beginning Wednesday, February 28, to allow the public the opportunity to learn more about the fare proposal and offer comments and suggestions before the plan is considered by the Board of Directors in April.

Members of the public can review complete details of the fare plan online at www.njtransit.com. Simply click on the button for “NJ TRANSIT FARE PROPOSAL.”

To ensure an inclusive public comment process, NJ TRANSIT has scheduled 11 hearings and two information sessions at locations across the state and in New York from February 28 through March 8. The schedule includes a Saturday session for customers unable to participate in the evenings.

Public hearing schedule

Public hearings will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. as follows:

Wednesday, February 28

• Hoboken City Hall (Council Chambers), 94 Washington St., Hoboken
• Rutgers Camden Campus Center, 326 Penn St. (at 3rd & Penn streets), Camden

Thursday, March 1

• Passaic County Administration Building (Freeholders’ Board Room), 401 Grand St., Paterson
• Somerset County Administration Building (Freeholders’ Chambers), 20 Grove St., Somerville
• Summit City Hall (Council Chambers), 512 Springfield Ave., Summit

Tuesday, March 6

• NJ Department of Environmental Protection (Public Hearing Room – 1^st Floor), 401 East State St., Trenton
• Atlantic City Convention Center (Meeting Room 301), One Miss America Way, Atlantic City

Wednesday, March 7

• NJ TRANSIT Headquarters, One Penn Plaza East, Newark
• Monmouth County Library (Meeting Rooms 1 & 2), 125 Symmes Dr., Manalapan

Thursday, March 8

• Bergen County Freeholders Public Meeting Room, One Bergen County Plaza, Hackensack
• Toms River Park & Ride Lobby, 400 Highland Parkway South, Toms River

Additional information sessions

In addition to the scheduled public hearings, NJ TRANSIT will hold two “informational sessions” to receive comment from customers who are unable to attend one of the 11 “public hearings.” By statute, public hearings must take place on weekdays and within the State of New Jersey. NJ TRANSIT is supplementing its slate of public hearings with two informational sessions—one in Manhattan and one on a Saturday. As a practical matter, there will be no difference in the way public hearings and information sessions are conducted, and public comment will be accepted at both.

NJ TRANSIT informational sessions are scheduled as follows:

Saturday, March 3 - 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

• Rutgers Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy (Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center Special Events Forum), 33 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick

Tuesday, March 6 - 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

• Port Authority Bus Terminal (Times Square Hall – 2^nd Floor), 625 8^th Ave., New York City

Members of the public also may submit comments through March 8, 2007 at www.njtransit.com or via standard mail delivery to: Public Hearing Office – Fare Proposal, One Penn Plaza East, Newark, NJ 07105.

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing nearly 857,000 weekday trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines and 11 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 162 rail stations, 60 light rail stations and more than 18,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.