I don't want to burden your Monday unnecessarily, but …

NJ Transit, suffering from a series of service suspensions and delays between New York and New Jersey, on Monday implemented its first fare increase in nearly a decade.

In April, the transport company's board of directors unanimously approved a 15 percent fare increase for bus, train and light rail riders, which will come into effect on July 1, 2024. From July 1, 2025, there will be an annual increase of 3 percent for an indefinite period.

Here is an example of what we are looking at:

NJ Transit's neighborhood reminder of the impending fare increase elicited exactly the expected reaction.

It's been a terrible month for NJ Transit when it comes to service to and from New York City's Penn Station. Service was suspended at least five times in June, mostly during rush hour and largely due to problems with Amtrak's overhead wires.

Both transport operators said last week they would work together to speed up investigations into the suspensions and upgrade equipment.

On Friday, NJ Transit service was shut down again, leaving travelers stranded in near-record heat. So what's behind the problems? News 4's Andrew Siff and Adam Harding report.

NJ Transit's fare increase, originally proposed in late January, comes after the agency's preliminary estimates for fiscal year 2025 identified a $119 million budget shortfall. The new fares are intended to help close that budget gap.

Officials have known for several years that they would run into this financial impasse. Although NJ Transit ridership has reached about 80% of pre-COVID levels, the agency's ridership has been below pre-pandemic levels for the fifth year in a row. This low ridership has resulted in a rider loss of nearly $2 billion, according to NJ Transit.

Although NJ Transit has used federal COVID relief funds over several years to offset the losses, the funds will be exhausted in fiscal year 2025, the agency said.

Critics accused the state of not acting sooner to prevent the costs from being passed on to passengers.

NJ Transit and Amtrak trains are back running at Penn Station after power problems and a New Jersey wildfire shut down service — but the evening commute is anything but easy as one of the world's busiest transportation hubs has once again become total chaos for commuters, NBC New York's Checkey Beckford reports.