ASSEMBLY TRANSPORTATION AND INDEPENDENT AUTHORITIES COMMITTEE

 

STATEMENT TO

 

ASSEMBLY, No. 1223

 

with committee amendments

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED:  FEBRUARY 22, 2021

 

      The Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 1223.

      As amended and reported, this bill prevents the New Jersey Transit Corporation (New Jersey Transit) from requiring any validation of proof of payment for rail passenger service.  The bill also requires the proof of payment provided for use of rail passenger service to include the lines of service and the duration for which the proof of payment is valid.  If a customer is in possession of an authentic proof of payment, that is valid pursuant to the terms on the proof of payment, and provides it to authorized employees or fare enforcement officers, then the customer is not to be considered in violation of fare policy for rail passenger service.

      Currently, New Jersey Transit light rail and Newark subway service utilize a payment system where passes purchased from vending machines are not valid for use until stamped at a validation machine located on each platform, which places a time stamp on the pass giving the customer a fixed time in which they can utilize the service after they validate the pass.  Many individuals are unaware of this policy, do not validate a pass that they purchase, and are subsequently fined as a result.  This bill will prevent the use of the validation machines.  Instead, a pass will have to identify the period of time in which it can be used at the time of purchase, and be clearly stated on the pass.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2020-2021 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.

 

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The committee amended the bill to remove provisions requiring that proof of payment include information about the price of the pass and the date and time the pass was purchased. 

      The amendments added provisions eliminating the use of fare validation, requiring proof of payment to clearly state the lines of service and duration for which payment is valid on the specified rail passenger services, and establishing that a person in possession of an authentic proof of payment is not to be required to take any additional actions for their proof of payment to be in compliance with fare policy for rail passenger service.