The New Jersey Transit Board may just get a whole lot better very soon. One of the reasons transit has suffered for so long in the U.S. is that people governing the systems often are rare or infrequent riders themselves.
A bill proposed by State Senator Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, was passed by 36-0 by the Senate on Monday and heads to assembly. The bill expands the eight-member board to 10 by adding a bus and a rail commuter as full, voting members.
The bill received the endorsement of major commuter groups, including the New Jersey and Delaware Valley Associations of Railroad Passengers and the New Jersey Commuters Action Network.
“State-mandated representation on the NJT Board would mean beleaguered NJ Transit commuters would finally have a real voice at the decision-making table,” said Matt Walters, co-founder of the New Jersey Commuters Action Network.
Having two regular commuters on the board would allow them to provide monthly, first-hand accounts of reasons why the governor and legislature have to come together to provide dedicated funding for the third-largest transit system in the country, Walters said.