(I live in East Orange, NJ. The buses I mainly take are the 34, 41 and 709. However, I believe other buses in Northeastern NJ are undertaking the same practices that I describe below.)
No longer can you enter a bus through the front doors. You have to enter through the back and once inside you are greeted with a spider’s web of seatbelts and receipt tape that blocks you from entering the front section of the bus. This is done to keep social distance between the driver and the passengers. The passengers are no longer allowed to go up and pay for their fares, so people have been getting free bus rides, unless you had already bought a monthly bus pass. I wonder how many millions of dollars this is going to cost NJ Transit and if they will, once they stop the social distancing and start collecting fares again, raise fare prices in order to recoup their lost money. We can only hope this does not happen as many people have lost their jobs and an increase in fares can only make their lives harder.
Thnx!