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Riders boarding this NJ Transit train at Newark Penn Station could see a nine percent fare increase, depending on the agency's board vote in July. (Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

NJ Transit riders could see their fares go up 9 percent, under a proposal unveiled Monday afternoon, but some commuters said they don't believe management made enough cuts before turning to them.

Two individual trains and six bus routes also are on the chopping block. The proposed fare increases and service reductions would help the agency close a $60 million budget gap, which has been cut in half from $120 million. This is the first fare increase in five years.



If approved in July, the proposed service cuts would happen in September 2015 and fare increases would take effect on October 1, 2015, NJ Transit officials said.

The proposal delivers on a pledge made by Veronique Hakim, NJ Transit executive director, that a fare hike would be held to a single digit increase.



"I'm not the least impressed," said David Peter Alan, president of the Lackawanna Commuter Coalition. who said he is more concerned about the service cuts setting the stage for more slashing more train and bus service.



Proposed service cuts would eliminate the last trains out of Hoboken on the Montclair-Boonton and the Pascack Valley lines. Eliminating those trains would discourage discretionary riders, Alan said.



"There are proposed eliminations of the last trains on some routes. That's the beginning of service degradations," Alan said. " There not many commuter rail lines with a last run going out at 11 (p.m.) Most have some trains after 12:30 a.m.and 1 a.m."



Three bus routes, the 655 Princeton-Plainsboro and two seasonal routes, the 307 Freehold-Great Adventure and 318 Philadelphia-Great Adventure could be discontinued. Other routes, such as the 872 Morristown-Livingston Mall, the 419 Camden-Pennsauken and the 463 Woodbury-Avandale Park-Ride would lose stops or late night service.



Commuters on social media were critical of the fare increase proposal.



"I think it's time for NJ Transit to start explaining why a 34 percent fare increase in 5 years is necessary, and where that money is going?" said Darren Meyers of Bloomfield on the Delayed on NJ Transit Facebook page. He referred to the 22 percent increase taken in 2010 and the proposed 9 percent hike. "More money for the same/worse service. I live less than 20 miles from work, and it's going to cost me near $200 a month to get to work."

The proposals would increase the cost of a one-way train ticket from 25 to 75 cents depending on the distance. For a trip between Metropark and New York the one-way fare would increase from $10 to $10.75. A monthly pass for that trip, commonly used by commuters would increase $26.



Riders of local urban buses would increase from $1.50 to a $1.60, for a one-zone fare. Multi-zone trips will increase and one-way fares on commuter buses would increase an average of 75 cents $1.50. A monthly commuter pass on a Lakewood to New York trip would increase by $37, if approved.



One-way, light rail fare would increase from 15 cents to $2.25 on Hudson Bergen Light Rail, by 10 cents on the River Line and Newark Light Rail.



NJ Transit officials said they've reduced costs, frozen hiring and looked for efficiencies to save money and reduce the deficit. But some riders weren't convinced.



"Why aren't the guys making big bucks taking a cut in pay? Are they cutting take home cars (by employees) and top management perks," asked William Hathaway of Orange, who said he rides the bus and train. "Eliminate perks until you get the deficit down. When you cut services, you hurt the people who need get to their jobs."



Nancy Snyder, an NJ Transit spokeswoman, declined to comment whether the agency considered those suggestions and referenced to a list of previously detail cuts the agency made. They include reductions in overtime, fuel savings, energy and vehicle parts efficiencies.

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign turned to pizza and social media to demonstrate the inequity of numerous NJ Transit fare hikes, but a state gas tax which has remained unchanged since 1988.

"Transit riders alone should not be responsible for fixing the state's broken Transportation Trust Fund. Since 2002, there have been four fare increases," said Janna Chernetz, Tri-State Transportation Campaign senior New Jersey analyst. "Meanwhile, a key source of revenue to replenish the TTF, the gas tax, has not been increased in 27 years. NJ's transportation funding structure is unsustainable and broken. It needs a solution now."



Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex, criticized Gov. Chris Christie's administration about the TTF, relying on borrowing and a decline in support for NJT operating expenses from the general fund for NJT operating expenses.



State Senator Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth said Wisniewski shares the blame because he was part of Gov. Jon Corzine's team which used borrowing and debt payments pushed out to 40 years to fund the TTF.



Beck, who publicly opposed the fare increase, said the issues of state employee health benefit and pension costs are main factors driving the proposed fare hike and underscores why that issue has to be addressed.



"Commuters will just stop taking the trains if the numbers go too high, it's counter intuitive to where this state should be going with mass transit," Beck said.



But Alan equally blamed Republicans and Democrats for the funding issues that have led to the last two fare increases. He also warned drivers that they might be affected as commuters abandon the train or the bus and join them on already congested roads.

"Every fare increase on NJ Transit, when there is no similar increase on users of the highway causes some migration," he said.

A vote by NJ Transit's board of directors could happen at the July 8 meeting. Additional information about the fare increases is

Nine public hearings on the increase will be held between May 18 and 21.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.