The NJ TRANSIT board advanced the next step in the future NJ TRANSIT fare card as part of the Fare Modernization Program.

In a continuing effort to improve the customer experience, the agency is taking steps to update its fare payment technology and offer additional payment options including the NJ TRANSIT fare card. The initiative is a goal of the agency’s 2030 10-year strategic plan, which seeks to reduce cash and paper-based tickets while providing all customers with quick, easy, and convenient ways to pay.

The board-approved contract authorizes the agency to secure the required stock of cards, which will become the NJ TRANSIT fare cards during a later phase of the modernization.

“The NJ TRANSIT fare card technology advancing today will reduce cash and paper-based tickets, provide customers with new ways to pay, and leverage a statewide retail network to expand access to transit, particularly for those without access to credit or debit cards,” said NJ TRANSIT President/CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “It also represents just one aspect of our larger Fare Modernization program, which will enhance the experience for all NJ TRANSIT customers through faster, more convenient fare payment options.”

The future account-based solution will be utilized across all modes of transit including parking. Additionally, the agency will expand the sale of the NJ TRANSIT fare card through a statewide retail network to provide customers additional access to the new fare card and the ability to load transit fare products and fare value to their accounts through various payment methods including cash. Currently, the agency sells customer tickets from Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) and Ticket Office Machines (TOMs) that are located throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, and also offers ticket sales through its mobile app.

The approximately $2.5 million contract with Munich’s Giesecke+Devrient is for the purchase of MIFARE DESFire Fare Card stock, which includes labor, equipment, card packaging, shipping, and materials necessary to supply fare card stock to NJ TRANSIT. This is just one phase of the agency’s larger Fare Modernization program, which also includes new onboard ticket validators on buses, handheld validators for train crews, and activating the new fare cards.

NJ TRANSIT has already completed the installation of 558 new TVMs throughout the system, which offer faster transaction times and accept contactless payment options and mobile wallet applications. New displays on the TVMs provide customers with important travel information and advisories.