How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
If you're from the Garden State, you may soon have to start paying more to travel home.
Last Friday, New Jersey Transit announced a plan to increase bus and train fares by 25 percent and cut certain transit lines.
If approved, the changes will go into effect May 1.
The transit agency is considering the plan to help resolve its $300 million budget deficit. But its proposal has caused unrest among many New Jersey residents.
"We think that a 25 percent fare increase and the scheduled service cuts will be devastating for commuters," said Zoe Baldwin, New Jersey advocate for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, which works to reduce the usage of automobiles. "More people who have the ability to drive will begin driving, and those who don't have the ability to drive will be stuck paying the bill. More people riding on transit means less people on the road, less congestion for people who do drive and less pollution."
Daniel O'Connell of the United Transportation Union also voiced concerns about the proposal.
"New Jersey, being the most densely populated state in the country, doesn't need more cars on the road," he said. "You're going to make getting around the state that much more difficult and less convenient."
According to Baldwin, the problem lies in budget management.
"The reason that these increases are happening is due to decades of underfunding," Baldwin said.
Some students from New Jersey said they were worried about how the changes will affect their travel.
"Come summer time, I'll be a commuting student," CAS freshman Gregg Badicheck said. "We're supposed to be able to rely on NJ Transit, but it's beginning to seem that they can exercise extortion on us."
CAS freshman Amanda Driscoll offered a different opinion.
"The buses and trains are so unreliable and decrepit that most people avoid them as it is," she said. "A hike in fare will just push even more people away from public transportation."
The state will hold public hearings toward the end of the month.
"We are giving outreach to riders and encourage people to go to one of the public hearings and let their voices be heard," Baldwin said.
