Mader wants to set up a NJ Transit Riders Council, similar to the PATH group he set up

He plans enhancements to NJ Transit's website and smartphone apps.

Stewart Mader wants the Garden State to be known as the Transit State.

Mader is NJ Transit's first customer advocate and chief customer experience officer. The position was created by a law Gov. Phil Murphy signed in December changing the way the statewide mass transit agency is governed.

Mader, whose appointment was announced Thursday, has a big task in front of him. NJ Transit's rail and bus riders have experienced service disruptions and suspensions, crowded, late and canceled trips, and poor communication when things go wrong.

But Mader, who has been on the job for two weeks, said the 40-year-old agency has momentum like it hasn't in decades. With new leadership and new funding, and support from Murphy and the state Legislature, Mader said, NJ Transit is in "a season of change."

"We are really on the move," he said, in an interview Friday at NJ Transit's headquarters in Newark. "That’s a message I’d like customers to hear."

Professional rider

Mader was an NJ Transit bus and train rider for six years before coming to work for the agency. Since starting, he has been riding the system in a professional capacity.

"I’ve spent much of the early days living the [customer] experience," he said. "It’s now my full-time job."

He comes to NJ Transit with experience not only as a rider, but also as a transit customer advocate.

At the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Mader helped establish the PATH Riders Council advisory board. One of his first tasks is to create a similar group for NJ Transit. It will launch in the fall.

"I think it will be a good model here as well," he said.

For PATH riders, Mader helped introduce countdown clocks, the RidePATH app and a service map showing regional transit connections in PATH's entire 350-car fleet.

He worked with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to provide limited-use Metrocards for PATH riders to use New York City Transit during service disruptions related to the installation of the positive train control safety system.

At NJ Transit, Mader envisions building a stronger working relationship between the agency and the Port Authority, MTA and Amtrak to improve the customer experience.

Mader cited the coordination between NJ Transit and Amtrak on completing the preliminary work to replace the aging Portal Bridge in the Meadowlands. That project was completed on time and under budget.

"We need to build on that even more," he said.

He'll be working within NJ Transit to improve the customer experience, connecting the agency's professionals with members of the riding public. He plans enhancements to NJ Transit's website and smartphone apps. New buses and rail cars are on their way.

Mader said he understands the frustration NJ Transit riders feel, especially those whose service has been cut back or suspended for the better part of a year.

"We hear you," he said. "We know it’s not optimal."

Changes coming

Mader said NJ Transit has already incorporated customer feedback as it gets ready to bring back rail service from Philadelphia to Atlantic City. The route has been replaced by buses since September to enable the installation of positive train control and alleviate a shortage of personnel.

Starting on May 12, Atlantic City Line riders will have a train that arrives at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station in the 7 a.m. hour.

"That’s one of the top things customers asked us for," he said.

As for other routes that remain on reduced schedules, Mader conceded that it won't be perfect as long as the agency is short on locomotive engineers. More than 100 have been hired, and the first batch is set to complete training in May, with others later in the year.

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The agency has also hired more than 400 bus drivers. Thousands applied for the rail and bus positions, and Mader said that's an indication of the high interest in coming to work for NJ Transit.

"There is some real momentum around rebuilding Transit," he said.

During the 1990s, NJ Transit was regarded as an exemplary agency. It won awards, it expanded service and people wanted to work there.

One takeaway from Mader's initial conversations with the agency's front-line employees: They still do.

"We’ve got a lot of people who are very dedicated here," he said. "We run an incredible system."

New equipment is on the way. NJ Transit has ordered 113 bi-level rail cars and 182 buses. The rail cars will be able to carry more passengers, as will the 58 articulated buses that are set to join the fleet. Soon, the agency will begin operating electric buses in Camden, with the possibility of more in other parts of the state.

Mader said off-board fare collection should improve bus service. It already exists, he said, in the form of an app that allows riders to pay for their fares before they board. That helps speed up boarding times and reduces the bunching of fully loaded buses.

"We’re going to give people some things to be excited about," he said.