Say What? Locals Discuss Potential New Jersey Transit Cuts

New Jersey Transit has proposed a 25 percent across-the-board fare increase that, if approved, would go into effect May 1. Chatham Patch spent some time on Tuesday at Chatham Station asking commuters this question: "What is your opinion of the potential New Jersey Transit fare hikes?"

Here are their answers. Photos of those who answered are at right.

"I don't mind paying more as long as the trains are still on time and the station is clean and operational." —Tanya Kelley, Budd Lake, student

"That's a little rough. [New Jersey Transit] is a monopoly. It's all right as long as the end justifies the means." —Bill Feller, Morristown, retired

"New Jersey is in a lot of debt [as a state] and if the hikes help then maybe it is justified." —Christina McGeough, Chatham Township, stay-at-home mom

"I moved here from New York so I'm used to MTA raising prices all the time. [A lot of] people depend on public transportation so they don't have much of a choice. I've been thinking about quitting my job [in New York City] because it costs so much to get there." —Theresa Linstrom, Chatham Borough, photographer

"They've got to do what they've got to do. Would you ever expect them to lower their prices? I wouldn't. I'm afraid they are going to close some lines, too. If New Jersey Transit goes bankrupt, there is no train." —Steve Marchiarullo, Florham Park, recording engineer

"It sounds like anything else in life. What is not going up [in price]? [Trains] are expensive, but so is everything else." —Jen Haire, Chatham Township, children's yoga instructor

"It's so important to have mass transit. People want to use mass transit, but it's getting so expensive. I'd rather they raise tax on gas and lower the price of mass transit." —Stanley Tokarz, Chatham Borough, semi-retired (formerly worked in health care, now works in retail part-time)