Are More NJ Transit Bus Drivers Requiring You Scan Your Pass? (home, buses)

[njrebel1978]

This morning for the first time, my regular driver was requiring everyone scan their bus passes on the faulty reader. I found this strange because I see no such requirement on their website. This, of course, delayed boarding time since the readers are not too good. After trying several times to get it to read mine, driver finally told me to forget about it.

Even more interesting, I contacted NJT after this incident and was informed that drivers were not told to require passengers do this and wanted to know my bus number and the employee # I really didnt know this info, so I couldn't give them more info. But I was just wondering if any other NJT commuters expereinced the same aggravation lately?

[HudsonCoNJ]

I’ve never even seen a scanner on a NJ transit bus. Everyone either pays cash, shows a bus pass (paper ticket) or on the mobile app.

[njrebel1978]

Originally Posted by HudsonCoNJ

I’ve never even seen a scanner on a NJ transit bus. Everyone either pays cash, shows a bus pass (paper ticket) or on the mobile app.

Yeah, every bus I've seen has them now (both local and interstate buses). Look for the small white box with a screen close to the driver. They have been there for a while now, at least a year. But, never saw anyome use the scanner before or being told to by the driver. Of course if you pay cash, you wouldn't use it. But if you pay via mobile pass or even paper ticket, it is supposed to scan the QR code. The whole point of them was to avoid contact with driver and not have to hand them a paper ticket and instead just scan it.

I am curious to see if driver on my way home asks me to scan it too. I am very friendly with that particular driver, and may even ask him about it.

[HudsonCoNJ]

That’s odd reasoning because showing your pass to the driver doesn’t involve any contact either. I would think it’s to reduce fraud.

[njrebel1978]

Yeah...thats just the reason they gave in the article back when they were installed a couple years ago.

[HudsonCoNJ]

I just saw what you were referring to. The device was on but I didn’t see a single person use it or be asked to use it.

[njrebel1978]

Originally Posted by HudsonCoNJ

I just saw what you were referring to. The device was on but I didn’t see a single person use it or be asked to use it.

This tells me the driver I had this AM was simply on a power trip

[Hannah5555]

They could also be using it for tracking purposes. I use a mobile ticket for the train, but up until recently all I had to do was flash it and now they’re making a point of scanning it.

[Mightyqueen801]

Does it say anything about this on the website?

[Hannah5555]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

Does it say anything about this on the website?

Not specifically, but they are amping up their NJ Transit rewards program and doing some customer service outreach, so it would make sense they want to track numbers more accurately.