New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed Executive Order No. 16 on March 23, directing NJ Transit to overhaul the commuter experience by improving cleanliness, safety, accessibility, and digital services. The order sets firm deadlines, with the goal of having riders notice real changes by this summer.
The executive order comes amid years of mounting frustration from commuters. According to ComplaintsBoard.com, NJ Transit has a 1.3-star rating and 529 complaints, with 93% unresolved. NJ Transit serves more than 925,000 weekday trips across 264 bus routes, three light rail lines, and 12 commuter rail lines, making it the third-largest transit system in the country. At that scale, systemic failures in cleanliness and reliability affect hundreds of thousands of riders daily.
The order has two main components. Within 45 days of signing, Acting Commissioner of Transportation Priya Jain, who also serves as Chair of the NJ Transit board of directors, must develop and deliver a comprehensive improvement plan to the Governor’s office. The plan is directed to prioritize cleanliness of stations, buses, and rail cars; accessibility of NJ Transit-owned properties; public safety measures like lighting, cameras, and law enforcement presence; and the digital experience for riders, with a focus on the usability and reliability of real-time tracking features on the NJT website and mobile app.
To shape that plan, NJ Transit is hosting three public listening sessions where riders can share their concerns. The first virtual session took place on March 31, with each participant granted two minutes to speak. An online survey will also be posted to the NJ Transit website.
Within 45 days of the plan’s delivery, NJ Transit will fast-track implementation of the highest-priority initiatives so that riders begin to see improvements by June 22.
“Every New Jerseyan deserves a transit system that is safe, clean, accessible, and reliable,” said Governor Sherrill. “This Executive Order is about delivering cleaner stations, clearer communication, and more dependable service across NJ TRANSIT.”
Jain echoed that commitment, stating that the executive order’s focus on public engagement “will help in moving our transportation system forward.”
The order is not the first attempt to address longstanding issues. In March 2025, NJ Transit announced a plan to replace more than 13,000 windows across its Multi-Level I and II rail car fleet by 2028, replacing about one-third of the windows each year — a project that itself followed years of failed attempts to simply clean them.
Whether this executive order translates into lasting change remains to be seen, but commuters will have a clear benchmark: If the trains aren’t cleaner by late June, the Governor’s office will have some explaining to do.
