Transportation

This bill establishes two regional passenger advisory committees for NJ Transit: one for North Jersey and one for South Jersey. Each committee, composed of 15 appointed members who regularly use transit in their region, must provide input on fare increases, service cuts, or expansions before the transit board votes. Members must reside in specific counties and either be regular riders or have significant transit experience. The committees will review board agenda items and submit written feedback prior to meetings, ensuring customer perspectives are formally considered in key transit decisions.

This bill prohibits the $0.50 surcharge on rideshare trips that are designated for paratransit service, which includes transportation for people with disabilities and Medicaid non-emergency medical transport. It directly affects users of apps like Uber and Lyft who rely on these services for accessibility needs, ensuring they are not charged the extra fee required for regular prearranged rides. The legislation also clarifies that transportation network companies are not personally liable for these specific paratransit trips. By amending existing state laws, the bill removes the financial barrier for eligible riders while maintaining the surcharge for standard rides.

This bill establishes a five-year pilot program for New Jersey's Department of Transportation to inventory, assess, and monitor all state, county, and municipal bridges. It requires creating a digital bridge inventory, a risk scoring model for bridge safety, climate vulnerability assessments, and a public dashboard showing bridge conditions. The $9.5 million appropriation funds the program ($4.5M) and a separate AI-driven "Bridge Infrastructure Innovation Module" ($5M) to test sensor-based monitoring on high-risk bridges. The program mandates annual progress reports and a final evaluation after five years to determine if the approach should be expanded statewide to other infrastructure like roads and tunnels.