NJ Transit has won the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2025 Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award for a campaign conducted in conjunction with the state attorney general’s office.
“This recognition … affirms the effectiveness of our campaign and the importance of keeping the safety of our riders at the center of our work,” said NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri in a press release. “This effort ensures our system is prepared to raise awareness and help protect vulnerable individuals during large-scale events in the region as well as everyday commutes.”
Launched on Jan. 7, NJ Transit’s 2025 campaign expands the agency’s existing RIDE KIND safety platform and was designed to protect customers; empower potential victims; and prepare the system for high-profile events, when trafficking risks historically increase.
In its first 11 months, the campaign delivered more than 70 million impressions, including nearly 33 million in its first four weeks. With its core message – “Human trafficking isn’t always easy to spot” – the campaign includes:
- System-wide messaging on station digital monitors, including motion graphics with the campaign line, hotline details and cues for recognizing signs of trafficking.
- Printed posters placed in stations, platforms, rail cars, buses and transit centers.
- Two fully wrapped buses serving as moving billboards statewide during Human Trafficking Prevention Month in January.
- A comprehensive digital and social media execution with content optimized for sharing and clarity.
The award, which includes a $50,000 prize for first place, is a component of the USDOT’s Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking initiative, which seeks to raise awareness among transportation stakeholders about human trafficking and increase training and prevention to combat the crime.
According to the USDOT, as many as 27.6 million men, women and children are held against their will and trafficked.
The anti-trafficking award is open to individuals and entities, including non-governmental organizations, transportation industry associations, research institutions and state and local government organizations. Entries are judged on such criteria as technical merit, originality, impact, practicality, measurability and applicability. Final selections are made by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
