Some 350,000 commuters could soon be scrambling for other ways to reach their destinations if New Jersey Transit engineers walk off the job early Friday. NJ Transit — the nation’s third largest transit system — operates buses and rail in the state,

A strike of train engineers could happen May 16. And NJ Transit's 172,000 weekday rail riders need to consider alternatives.

NJ Transit said that 350,000 commuters would be affected by a strike. If the strike occurs, a contingency plan would move rail commuters to its buses. However, only about 20%, or 20,000, of its daily rail commuters could be accommodated by the plan, according to Kolluri.