Decreasing ridership is prompting belt-tightening by NJ Transit.
The agency said it is eliminating a toll-free customer information telephone number and printing fewer paper timetables.
Those steps are possible because more people are getting information from NJ Transit's Web site, www.njtransit.com, according to the agency.
Richard Sarles, NJ Transit's executive director, said reducing timetable printing will save $800,000. And it's continuing a hiring freeze of non-transportation service-related positions and a salary freeze it implemented Jan. 1.
Declining gasoline prices, along with the slumping economy and its effect on the New York job market, are to blame for a drop in ridership so far this year, agency officials said.
The decline comes less than a year after spiking gas prices spurred record ridership growth.
