TRENTON, New Jersey – Senate President Nick Scutari called on NJ Transit to reverse its new policy of invalidating tickets sold with no expiration date and to continue to honor the full value of the unexpired tickets.
NJ Transit recently started publicizing a new policy that all one-way tickets will expire in 30 days, starting on July 1. Before the new policy was passed by NJ Transit’s board on April 10, tickets did not expire until used.
“It is blatantly unfair for NJ Transit’s riders to learn after the fact that the tickets they purchased in good faith will be worthless if they aren’t used by a newly imposed date,” Scutari said. “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’s a basic consumer right that NJ Transit should follow.”
Senator Scutari referred to the practices of the Post Office’s forever stamps and the gift cards sold by many businesses as examples of “how it should be done.”
“NJ Transit has a responsibility to its riders to correct this wrong and honor the full value of the tickets,” Scutari said. “They should be allowed to use the tickets at any time or receive a refund. That is a reasonable expectation for any customer, including riders who rely on the services of a public transit agency.”
“Legislation may be needed to change the policy,” Scutari added. “I asked my staff to start drafting legislation last night. But I am hopeful that such a step is unnecessary. I expect them to do the right thing.”
