(The following appeared on the Newsday website on March 11, 2009.)
NEWARK, N.J. — Decreasing ridership is prompting belt-tightening by NJ Transit.
The agency says it is eliminating a toll-free customer information telephone number and printing fewer paper timetables. It says those steps are possible because more people are getting information from NJ Transit’s Web site, www.njtransit.com.
Richard Sarles, NJ Transit’s executive director, says reducing timetable printing will save $800,000. And it’s continuing a hiring freeze of nontransportation service-related positions and a salary freeze it implemented Jan. 1.
Agency officials say declining gasoline prices, along with the slumping economy and its effect on the New York job market, are to blame for a drop in ridership so far this year.
The decline comes less than a year after spiking gas prices spurred record ridership growth.