Prohibits surcharge on transportation network company riders for certain paratransit service.
Assembly Bill 5151 amends New Jersey’s transportation network company law to exempt certain paratransit trips from the existing per-ride surcharge imposed on TNC riders. Under current law, most prearranged rides originating and ending in the state are subject to a $0.50 surcharge, with a reduced $0.25 surcharge for shared rides. This bill would bar that surcharge from being applied when the ride is taken for paratransit service.
The bill defines paratransit service broadly to include transportation provided by NJ Transit to comply with the ADA, services provided through the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, county senior and disabled resident transportation assistance programs, and Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation. It also adds a new provision stating that a transportation network company arranging prearranged rides for paratransit service would not be personally liable for those rides. The bill takes effect immediately and leaves the existing surcharge framework in place for other TNC rides.
The bill would amend P.L.2018, c.47 (C.39:5H-4.1) by carving out an exemption from the transportation network company rider surcharge for paratransit trips and by adding a new section to Title 39 clarifying that TNCs arranging paratransit rides are not personally liable for those rides. As a result, riders using TNCs for ADA-related paratransit, county senior/disabled transportation, workforce development transportation, or Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation would no longer pay the state surcharge that otherwise applies to prearranged rides. The bill would also affect the Division of Taxation’s administration of the surcharge by narrowing the rides subject to collection and remittance.
The available materials suggest the bill is intended as a targeted relief measure for riders who rely on paratransit and related disability- or medical-transport services. The text reflects a generally supportive policy approach toward reducing costs for vulnerable riders and clarifying liability for transportation network companies serving these trips. No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no documented opposition or formal vote pattern to indicate broader legislative sentiment.
The main policy issue is the scope of the exemption: the bill extends the surcharge carve-out beyond ADA paratransit to include county senior and disabled transportation and Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation, which may raise questions about how broadly the exemption should apply and how it should be administered. Another potential point of contention is the liability provision for transportation network companies, which may be viewed as a clarification by supporters but could be scrutinized by those concerned about tax collection or regulatory accountability. No specific opposing viewpoints are included in the provided record.