There's a push in Trenton to increase oversight of New Jersey Transit, especially after the second worst summer of hell for riders since Governor Murphy took office.

Passengers want the agency to finally make good on its requirement to hire a customer advocate, someone who can voice their suggestions and frustrations to top leaders.

Well, now a new bill is proposing to take control of that position away from the very organization under scrutiny and put the power back in the hands of riders.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports.

NJ Transit's trains and busses ran mostly trouble free this morning, but riders struggled to keep track on the agency's mobile app.

It crashed during the rush, unable to process requests for tickets, routs or delays.

A flood of posts on excited technical issues with the mobile app down for hundreds of consumers this morning.

One frustrated commuter commented, If we had a consumer advocate to look to for timing and information, they would have heard more clearly how wrong lacking and fed up we are with NJT's catastrophically bad performance.

It's been obvious to me that New Jersey Transit doesn't want a customer advocate, doesn't want somebody that would report directly to the board and be response able to riders.

And that's very disappointing.

Former State Senator Loretta Weinberg's bill, creating an NJ Transit consumer advocate, passed in 2018.

But she claims the agency's hire, Stewart Mader, quote, disqualified himself by promoting his boss's interests over riders concerns.

Mader left four years ago and riders have been since clamoring for a replacement.

We need someone else in charge of hiring our mandated customer advocate board member, something our has not been transparent about the customer advocate vacancy and it's.

Failed the hiring of a public advocate is in its final stages and that's all the information I can give at this time.

I cannot believe that they have had no appropriate person signing up to this job.

So let's really demand accountability from the people who are running it.

We have a long way to go and we need to make sure that the riders feel that their interests are being represented.

And there's nobody within New Jersey Transit right now whose sole job is to advocate for the commuters.

State Senator Raj Mukherji sponsored bipartisan legislation to create a new three member rider Advocacy commission separately financed and independent of NJ Transit members would be appointed separately one each by the Governor, Senate president and Assembly Speaker, and the Commission would then hire an NJ Transit rider advocate.

At the end of the day, we are strengthening the customer advocate position to make them accountable directly to the commuters through their elected representatives and not have them accountable to New York, New Jersey Transit.

The bill authorizes the rider advocate to consult experts on fare hikes, service expansions or reductions.

They could investigate and research customer concerns and testify to NJ Transit's board and legislative committees.

But foremost among their duties, the Advocate would conduct monthly meetings with riders and solicit comments.

The bill would also repeal any new advocate hired by NJ Transit's board.

They have to have some some independence from the agency that they're auditing.

I will be supportive of anything, including this that improves life for the customers of New Jersey Transit.

NJ Transit today stated it's still finalizing a process to hire an advocate.

Meanwhile, the Rider Advocacy bill on Monday moved unopposed through the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ.

Spotlight News.