TRENTON, New Jersey — Senate President Nick Scutari, who four days ago called on NJ Transit to reverse its policy of invalidating tickets sold with no expiration date, thanked the agency after it announced it will offer refunds to its customers.
“I welcome NJ Transit’s response in offering refunds to customers who purchased tickets in good faith only to learn after the fact that they would be worthless if not used by a newly imposed deadline,” Scutari, D-Union, said. Reversing that policy is the only thing to do. Providing reimbursements will help correct that wrong and make the purchasers whole.
“NJ Transit has a responsibility to respect the consumer rights of its riders by treating them fairly,” Scutari added. “If they want to sell tickets with expiration dates, it should be on the tickets or the purchasers should be informed at the time of sale. That is a reasonable expectation for any customer, including riders who rely on the services of a public transit agency.”
Sen. John McKeon, D-Essex/Passaic, offered a similar sentiment in response to NJ Transit’s announcement that it will now reimburse riders for unused one-way tickets purchased before June 1, 2024. The announcement comes before the implementation of NJ Transit’s new policy which mandates that such tickets expire within 30 days, starting July 1, 2024.
“It is great news that NJ Transit heard rider’s concerns and will grant refunds to customers who purchased tickets without an expiration date in advance of its shift to enforcing a 30-day use window on July 1,” McKeon said. “Voiding unused tickets on July 1 would have been an additional financial burden for commuters who rely on NJ Transit to get to work and school, especially in light of upcoming fare increases.”
Riders can request refunds for unused tickets between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31, 2024.
