Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced the release of NJ TRANSIT’s Rapid Action Plan, a blueprint for how the statewide provider will make trains and stations cleaner, and introduce technology including real-time service tracking — starting with the debut Tuesday of the redesigned NJ TRANSIT mobile app.
“No one wants to ride home on a dirty bus. No one wants to feel unsafe on their train. And no one wants to use an outdated and confusing app that makes it impossible to plan your trip,” Sherrill said in a statement. “By prioritizing accessibility, safety, cleaner vehicles and facilities, and upgraded digital technology, this plan addresses the needs of everyone who uses the system.”
The plan is structured almost entirely around improving the rider experience, whether that means taking steps to ensure stations — as well as buses and trains — are clean, safe and accessible for all users. But it also acknowledges that technology improvements tied to personal devices are something riders have come to expect.
This includes expanding the rollout of Wi-Fi across the bus fleet, and providing real-time GPS tracking for buses and trains, giving riders a better sense of the transit service. The plan also calls for modernizing station displays and the agency website, as well as developing a Unified Customer Communication System to deliver consistent, timely service information.
In public safety, the plan calls for establishing a real-time crime center, upgrading the NJ TRANSIT camera system and improving lighting.
The call for technology improvements and modernization at NJ TRANSIT tracks with Sherrill’s aim to introduce digital and AI tools across state government to improve transparency and service delivery.
“I came into office with a saving-time-and-money agenda, focused on finally bringing Trenton to the 21st century, and technology is a big part of it,” Sherrill said May 5 at the New Jersey Digital Government Summit* in Trenton, N.J., describing her work and plans to modernize technology systems, fund IT upgrades, and offer more transparency in budgeting and permitting. “We need our government to be as innovative as our state, especially as they enter the AI world.”
The Action Plan prioritizes “near-term” projects to enhance the rider experience, while also laying the foundation for more long-range improvements leading to better service, reliability and transparency. The improvements will be funded with NJ TRANSIT’s existing budget, with no new allocations from the state, according to an NJ TRANSIT news release.
“By combining near-term, customer-focused actions with continued long-term investments in infrastructure and equipment, we are strengthening both the reliability of our system and the overall travel experience for the hundreds of thousands of customers who rely on NJ TRANSIT every day,” NJ TRANSIT President and CEO Kris Kolluri said in a statement.
Technology upgrades are a pathway to improved customer experiences and ridership, transit leaders and experts said at the CoMotion Miami conference in April.
“We need to put the rider first. The rider needs to be in the center,” Andres Polo, core products and urban mobility lead at Visa, said during an April 28 panel on modernizing fare payments.
"Gen Z and Generation Alpha were born with this device attached to your hip, he said, holding out his smartphone. “If we do not provide that experience, that seamless experience, and the choice to the passengers, they will not ride transit.”
*The New Jersey Digital Government Summit was hosted by Government Technology.
