NJ: Why Uber and Lyft will no longer be part of this popular NJ Transit program

People who use NJ Transit’s Rider’s Choice, which allowed Access Link passengers to use Uber or Lyft, instead of one of NJ Transit’s Access Link vehicles, is transitioning to two new providers that meet new federal requirements for drug and alcohol testing, officials said.

“It definitely hasn’t ended,” said Anthony Grieco, an NJ Transit spokesperson. “It is an active program and will continue to be under different providers.”

In a Jan. 31 letter to Access Link passengers, NJ Transit said Rider’s Choice will stop using Uber and Lyft on June 30 because Federal Transit Administration regulations require those providers to have drug and alcohol testing programs in place as of Dec. 30, 2024.

NJ Transit cannot continue to subcontract with Uber and Lyft because they do not have the required drug and alcohol testing programs and don’t plan to implement them, the letter stated.

On Jan. 6, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice notified NJ Transit that it was investigating the Rider’s Choice Program for potential Americans with Disabilities Act violations by a provider about service animal accommodations and access for blind customers.

To address these issues, NJ Transit is currently in the process of switching to Uzurv and VIA, which fully comply with both Federal Transit Administration and ADA standards, officials said.

Access Link will be able to maintain the “improvements in customer service and on-time performance that it gained” from the initial Rider’s Choice Pilot Program by changing providers, officials added. Rider’s Choice started in May 2023.

VIA runs Jersey City’s app-based ride share micro transit system, which started in 2020. It topped 2 million rides in the city a year ago. Uzurv is a more of a paratransit provider, similar to AccessLink and it accommodates service animals, according to its website.

Under NJ Transit’s pilot program that began in May 2023, Access Link riders in specific counties can now opt in to receive their rides through Lyft or Black and White Taxi as part of the Rider’s Choice. That program was expanded by NJ Transit to additional counties on Feb. 7, 2024, to serve a total of 14 counties and parts of two others.

Access Link, as a para-transit program, has to to comply with the federal American with Disabilities Act by providing public transportation to people with disabilities who are unable to utilize local bus services.

It is also under federal scrutiny after a December 2022 settlement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to resolve rider complaints that NJ Transit failed to operate a para-transit service that complied with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The investigation found Access Link had capacity constraints significantly limited service availability, including poor telephone performance and untimely pickups and drop-offs.

Rider’s Choice currently serves Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Mercer, Monmouth, Middlesex, Essex, Morris, Union, Somerset, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties, parts of Cumberland County and northern Ocean County.

One Bergen County passenger who tried to file out the form earlier this month to use Rider’s Choice was told the program was shut down, when he called Access Link.

Due to the transition to VIA and Uzurv, Access Link will no longer accept new applications for Uber and Lyft rides, Grieco said. New applications for VIA and Uzurv rides are expected to open in March.

A proposed state law would have expanded Rider’s Choice statewide for another two years was vetoed in September by Gov. Phil Murphy.

Murphy’s concern was that the bill needed to comply with federal laws and regulations governing Medicaid non-emergency transportation services. They include requirements for drivers to have CPR certification, a clean driving record and a valid driver’s license.

The bill was amended, passed both houses of the legislature and became law in October. It provides for a two-year pilot program.

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