NEWARK, N.J. – NJ Transit is giving commuters a new set of digital tools Wednesday, rolling out an upgraded mobile app experience designed to make schedules, service alerts and trip planning easier to navigate.
The company is also moving to assist its embattled customer service team with an AI chatbot.
The update arrives alongside “Navvie,” an artificial intelligence chatbot NJ Transit is testing on its website. The agency says Navvie can answer questions about schedules, transfers and trip planning around the clock and could eventually make its way into the mobile app.
- New NJ Transit mobile app features launch Wednesday, Sept. 9.
- Riders will see changes to schedules, service alerts, trip planning, payments, accessibility and special-event ticketing.
- Navvie is being tested on the NJ Transit website and could be added to the mobile app by the end of the year.
A New Look for Everyday Commuters
For riders, the most noticeable change should be how basic travel information is presented.
The NJ Transit app now brings train, bus and light rail departures and schedules into one interface. Active service alerts are supposed to be easier to find, while trip planning and nearby-station functions have also been reworked.
There are smaller changes, too. NJ Transit says the release includes improvements to payments, accessibility, app performance and special-event ticketing.
Another update is planned later in September. That release is expected to add favorites to the home screen and a breaking news and service information feature, putting major disruptions in front of riders without requiring them to hunt through the app.
The changes are part of Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s Rapid Action Plan for the transit agency, which was announced in May after rider listening sessions and a public survey.
“New Jerseyans deserve a transit system that is clean, safe, reliable, and easy to use,” Sherrill said when the plan was released.
NJ Transit Gives AI a Try With Navvie
Navvie is a different kind of experiment.
Rather than clicking through NJ Transit pages looking for information, commuters can type a question into the chatbot. The system is designed to help plan trips, find stations and bus stops, and answer questions about schedules, alerts and transfers.
“Our redesigned website puts customers first while Navvie, our first digital assistant, gives customers a smarter, more convenient way to plan their trips and get travel information,” NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri said.
There is a catch familiar to anyone who has used AI.
NJ Transit warns directly on Navvie that its answers are generated by artificial intelligence and “may occasionally contain errors.” The chatbot uses information from the agency’s website to generate its responses.
For now, it remains a pilot. NJ Transit says it will review how Navvie performs before potentially putting the assistant inside the mobile app by the end of 2026.
Digital Fixes Meet Much Bigger Transit Problems
A better app can make a missed train or service disruption easier to understand. It cannot, by itself, make the train arrive.
That distinction hangs over NJ Transit’s latest technology push as the statewide transportation system continues dealing with the much harder questions of reliability, aging infrastructure and long-term finances.
Sherrill’s Rapid Action Plan goes beyond the app. It calls for improvements in cleanliness, accessibility and public safety, along with better real-time information for riders. The administration said those initiatives would be paid for from NJ Transit’s existing budget rather than through additional state funding specifically for the plan.
The agency is also working on NJT LiveView, a GPS-based system intended to improve real-time train and light rail information across station displays, apps and other platforms. Other projects include expanded bus Wi-Fi, upgraded customer communications and new digital displays.
That makes Wednesday’s app release one piece of a much larger attempt to change the rider experience.
For commuters standing on a platform wondering where their train is, however, the standard for success will be considerably simpler: whether the information on their phone is accurate when they need it.
NJ Transit is changing how riders find schedules and alerts.
Wednesday’s update combines departures and schedules into a more consistent interface while improving trip planning, payments and accessibility.
Navvie is NJ Transit’s first AI digital assistant.
The chatbot can help with trips, schedules, transfers and nearby stops, although NJ Transit warns that AI-generated answers can contain errors.
More app changes are coming later this month.
NJ Transit plans to add home-screen favorites and a feature that puts major breaking service information directly in front of commuters.
Sources: NJ Transit digital upgrade announcement and Navvie pilot; New Jersey Governor’s Office Rapid Action Plan for NJ Transit.
NJ Transit, New Jersey, Transportation, Commuters, Technology
