From Freehold to frustration: The harsh reality of NJ commuting

Maybe it’s just me, but I was surprised to learn how much New Jersey relies on public transportation to get to work.

Maybe my view of New Jersey as being so heavily a car state is skewed because I compare it too much to New York City?

Hey, I’d like to be a better citizen and do my share to save the planet by taking public transportation. But to get from my home in Freehold to my job, there really isn’t a good choice for that.

That said, a study by The Pin Factory says the Garden State is actually second in the nation for using public transportation.

Researchers analyzed data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to find the states that rely the most on public transit for daily commutes.

New York State is No. 1, largely because of New York City, of course. They have 21.5% of their residents relying on public means to get to their daily jobs.

However, 8% of New Jerseyans are using public transportation, which gives us the silver medal.

Not bad! For the planet anyway. But at what cost?

NJ Transit has come under fire for so long now for shoddy service so often that it sounds like a nightmare.

I can’t imagine spending an hour and a half a day inside an NJ Transit train car.

First, there’s the problem of "others." Others taking up too many seats. Others making too much noise or smelling like weed.

No thank you.

Even worse, I can’t imagine a commute where I can’t belt out “Defying Gravity“ from “Wicked” at the top of my lungs the way I can in the privacy of my car.

Sure. On a train or on an NJ transit bus I could put my earbuds in and listen to the “We Hate Movies” podcast but then I’d be laughing out loud and annoying everybody around me.

I give credit to anybody who takes public transportation in New Jersey whether it’s because you have to or because you choose to, good for you!

Here are the top 10 states that rely on public transportation the most along with the percentage of their population using public transit for work.

1️⃣ New York 21.5%

2️⃣ New Jersey 8%

3️⃣ Massachusetts 6.2%

4️⃣ Illinois 5.6%

5️⃣ Maryland 4%

6️⃣ Hawaii 3.5%

7️⃣ Pennsylvania 3.4%

8️⃣ Connecticut 3.3%

9️⃣ Washington 3.1%

🔟 California 2.4%

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.
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