River Line (New Jersey Transit) - Payment and Ticketing

Payment and Ticketing

The River Line operates on a proof-of-payment system, as typical of most light rail systems throughout the United States. Passengers can buy the tickets at ticket vending machines (TVM) present at all stations, with the base fare being $1.50. The tickets then must be validated at separate ticket validation machines, where machine will print an expiration time/date stamp on the ticket; tickets are valid for two hours from the time of validation. Passengers must hold a valid ticket before boarding the train, and can face fines if a ticket inspector finds them on-board without proper proof of payment. Passengers holding valid New Jersey Transit bus passes or weekly or monthly rail tickets can present any of those as they are honored on the River Line. Unused Newark City Subway (same $1.50 fare) and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail ($2.10) tickets can be used after validation at a River Line station. As of 2004, rider fares only covered 7% of costs (not including debt service).