Living in Hoboken and Jersey City has many perks, including easy access to and from NYC, making daily commutes much easier and time-efficient. That is, if the PATH trains, buses, and ferries are running on time, or even running at all. You don’t need to commute on a daily basis to know the frustrations that come with it. When you can see your office building from Hoboken Terminal but have no idea when a PATH train will show up to get you there — that’s the epitome of frustration. What’s even more frustrating, though, is an increase in fares. PATH announced that of November 1st, 2019, fares will be going up, so keep reading to learn how this will affect your commute and what PATH has planned for the future.
About the Fare Increase
Currently, a single trip PATH ride is $2.75, but many commuters will load up on multi-trips or a monthly unlimited SmartLink card to enjoy the discounts that come with buying in bulk. Right now, 10-trip, 20-trip, and 40-trip fares are discounted to $2.10 per ride, coming to $21, $42, and $84, respectively. A SmartLink 30-day pass {offering unlimited rides within that 30-day window} is $89 and a popular choice among daily riders. No matter the schedule, there is an option to fit everyone’s schedule and budget.
With the November 1st change, PATH’s base fare will remain at its current $2.75 for a single trip, but the discount for multi-trips will decrease. Basically, buying in bulk will mean fewer savings. The per-ride price for multi-trip purchases {10-trip, 20-trip or 40-trip options} will be increased to $2.50 {from $2.10} on November 1st, 2019. The new breakdown of total costs will be the following:
- 10-trip SmartLink – $25 {$4 increase}
- 20-trip SmartLink – $50 {$8 increase}
- 40-trip SmartLink – $100 {$16 increase}
- SmartLink 30-Day Unlimited – $106 {$17 increase}
The other unlimited options will also increase:
- SmartLink 1-Day Unlimited – $10 {$1.75 increase}
- SmartLink 7-Day Unlimited – $34.50 {$5.50 increase}
The Senior SmartLink Fare will cost $1.25, an increase of $0.25, and is available to riders age 65 and older. {Note: the PATH Senior Fare is only available with the PATH Senior SmartLink Card.}
The PATH has also announced that on November 1st, 2020, the per-ride price for multi-trip purchases {10-trip, 20-trip or 40-trip options} will be “adjusted” to $2.60.
If you’re reading this and wondering how you can fend off this fare hike from hitting your pockets, you’re not alone. In fact, we salute your inquisitive mind. Our suggestion? Go online and refill your SmartLink cards ASAP.
See More: What To Do Near the PATH Stop: Christopher Street
Reasons for the Fare Hike
While not confirmed, an alleged main reason for this increase could be the modernization that the PATH has planned for 2019. This overhaul seeks to improve PATH service through three main goals: adding capacity, reducing delays {and, therefore, improving the reliability of service}, and overall, enhancing the PATH travel experience for all PATH guests.
In 2018, PATH installed cell phone service in all of its underground stations. And that’s not all — 2018 was also the year that PATH added countdown clocks system-wide, modeled after the ones in many New York City Subway stations. PATH also launched the RidePATH app the same year, which provides information on late trains and disrupted service. In order to receive the notifications, PATH passengers must have their phones in Bluetooth mode.
New Technology to Help Your Commute
To make life a little less stressful when commuting and totally unrelated {but related} to NJ Transit, there’s a new app on the market, one created by a local resident who truly understands what the daily commuter faces. SixthBoro, co-created by Avijeet {Avi} Sachdev and Ryan Cohen, helps riders get what they need for their commute.
“SixthBoro is the quick, clean iOS application that helps PATH riders seamlessly check on train schedules. With SixthBoro, you can now set up notifications, favorite your frequent stations, and even check the PATH map for the corresponding schedule,” is how the app describes itself. And, it’s FREE. It has several five-star reviews, with reviewers claiming that it’s “amazing” and “…just what I needed.”
Read More: What to Do Near The 23rd Street PATH Stop in NYC
We got a chance to talk to Avi, and he said, “…the PATH train has been a great service and reliable enough compared to most NYC commutes which have kept me on this side of the Hudson for this long! However, the application served to be inefficient in urgent situations leading us to build out the application that is faster, has personable features, and feels more native to the iOS experience. On behalf of most PATH commuters, we would love it if with the fare increases there was a plan to spend a fraction of it toward furthering the technology of the PATH service.”
Needless to say, it looks like this PATH app might be a major help to all us commuters out there. Plus, with the new fare hike, we’ll need it more than ever to time our commutes just right.
How are you feeling about the fare increase that’s just days away? Tell us below in the comments!
