Garden State officials on Wednesday warned World Cup ticketholders that there will be no cheap way to get to this summer’s games at MetLife Stadium.
New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Priya Jain said fans can’t get dropped off in private vehicles and should avoid biking or hoofing it to the games, which are expected to draw nearly 80,000 attendees.
“Do not plan on driving to the stadium. Do not plan on walking to the stadium, in spite of any of the TikTok videos or other videos that you're seeing,” Jain said.
Jain also said unauthorized shuttles or buses — including unlicensed “dollar vans” that are popular in New York and New Jersey — will not be allowed anywhere near the stadium.
“Should you choose to arrive by those unauthorized buses or by those vehicles, you should expect disruptions on your match day experience,” she said.
The warning sought to clarify that all attendees must use transportation services approved by the local host committee. Those include NJ Transit train tickets at $98 per round trip and $20 shuttle buses from Manhattan.
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri said Uber will be the only for-hire vehicle company allowed near the stadium on World Cup match days. He said those cars will be directed to the nearby Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment complex.
The announcement came the same week that Uber had partnered with the governors of New York and New Jersey to provide hundreds of free tickets for fans who can’t afford entry to the games.
FIFA has also organized special transportation for VIPs attending the World Cup in New Jersey.
Transportation to MetLife Stadium is tightly controlled by NJ Transit and the host committee for the games in an effort that officials say is necessary to bolster security and prevent gridlock around the stadium.
With just days before the first match, New Jersey officials hoped to tamp down on any workarounds fans may attempt in order to avoid a costly train ticket or a bus that may get stuck in traffic.
David Sierotowicz, deputy superintendent of the New Jersey state police, said officers would be out in force to ensure no one even thinks about being dropped off near the stadium in a car that isn’t an Uber.
“ We will be flooding that area with law enforcement so we can catch them as they're stopping or as they're pulling over or as they're trying to leave,” Sierotowicz said. “ We also have signs up at every single hotel in the area advising people that is unauthorized to walk,” he said.
Kolluri acknowledged the entire NJ Transit plan could be thrown into disarray by a single mishap from Amtrak, which owns and maintains the tracks at Penn Station, where a series of recent fires led to widespread delays and cancellations. Kolluri said Amtrak reassured him the agency is ready.
“ But for whatever reason, if it doesn't, if it goes south, I need them to be on site ready to fix it so we don't have extraordinary delays,” Kolluri said.
NJ Transit will have 485 buses standing by, ready to deploy if there are any issues with the trains. With 1,200 people expected to be riding each train, even one missed train could lead to chaos at Penn.
“ We can't wait 15, 20 minutes,” Kolluri said.
Kolluri urged fans to use the same mode of transportation to get to and from the stadium for the games.
