Maplewood to Increase Jitney Fees

The Maplewood Township Committee is considering raising the price for the Jitney, but may only be by a few dollars for the year.

The Township Committee discussed raising the fees for the Jitney pass as well as the Jitney and parking combination by $7, during a public meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

“We looked at the revenue and expenses for the entire Jitney operation for all of 2012 and to date of 2013 and made some projections for 2014,” said Maplewood Mayor Victor De Luca. 

“We are proposing a revenue formula that total revenue from the Jitney passes, the per ride cash fare and the margin between the Jitney/ parking combo passes and the parking passes should equal annually 35 percent of the Jitney expenses,” he continued.

In 2012, the revenue from the three sources raised 34 percent and this year is projected to raise 33 percent, he said.

A Jitney pass will go from $85 dollars in 2013 to $92 in 2014 while a combination will be raised from $225 in 2013 to $232 for 2014.

There will be no increase in the parking pass or the dollar per ride cash fare, said De Luca.

“We are planning to expand the Jitney route from 3 routes to 4 routes and we expect new ridership from some of the new housing being built,” he said.

In 2012 the Jitney provided 80,000 one way rides which equals 333 one way rides per day.

The town will prepare the ordinance and introduce it on first reading at a later meeting