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When transit prices are compared on a global scale, New York commuters don’t seem like they’re being taken for too much of a ride. For example, a comparable distance ride in London costs $8.00, Toronto $2.23, Paris $2.33, Berlin $2.66 and Montreal $2.23. In Chicago, a ride goes for $2.25 whereas tripping in Los Angeles costs only $1.25. In general New Yorkers may be unhappy about rising transit fares but we know it’s unavoidable… to an extent. Let’s be assured and then reassured, that the MTA is doing all it can to eliminate financial waste, first! Officials must make prudent economic decisions for the future before going into the rider’s pockets again. Doubting that will happen, expect the next fare hike by 2011.IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog is a quick comment on an older New York City news headline. Unforeseen NYCo site development delays prevented its publication before now. For readership continuity, 100’s of older headlines are to be posted in chronological order until this blog is current. Though some of the stories may no longer be as relevant as they once were, they remain interesting news items worthy of this site’s mention and viewer comments.
[This is a copyrighted editorial, originally published on http://www.NEWYORKCITYonline.com/NYC-Online/blog.php. We invite you to post your comments and reply to others! This piece may be duplicated or printed with permission.]
The City’s MTA Transit division issues 34,000 “excuse notes” a year for late trains and buses. Riders can request them by phone and soon online. However, added to your delay is that it takes the MTA up to two weeks to provide the excuse note! MTA info showed that delays were up 24% from the previous year with a reported 92% on-time average. Let’s hope that future MTAlibi excuse notes help late commuters with strict bosses and convince MTA bosses to be stricter about improving transit service.IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog is a quick comment on an older New York City news headline. Unforeseen NYCo site development delays prevented its publication before now. For readership continuity, 100’s of older headlines are to be posted in chronological order until this blog is current. Though some of the stories may no longer be as relevant as they once were, they remain interesting news items worthy of this site’s mention and viewer comments.
[This is a copyrighted editorial, originally published on http://www.NEWYORKCITYonline.com/NYC-Online/blog.php. We invite you to post your comments and reply to others! This piece may be duplicated or printed with permission.]
The “Send” button was clicked by the MTA to provide subway, bus and commuter line riders with current transit info. Riders were able to login to the MTA’s website for their news. Service was provided by L.A. based contractor, MIS Systems to an estimated 145,000 riders at a cost of $10,000 a month to the MTA... but free for consumers. John Liu said it will make “commuting in New York more predictable and civilized.” I guess it’s easier to send a text for what should be expected “predictable and civilized” service, rather than getting mass transit to run as it should.IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog is a quick comment on an older New York City news headline. Unforeseen NYCo site development delays prevented its publication before now. For readership continuity, 100’s of older headlines are to be posted in chronological order until this blog is current. Though some of the stories may no longer be as relevant as they once were, they remain interesting news items worthy of this site’s mention and viewer comments.
[This is a copyrighted editorial, originally published on http://www.NEWYORKCITYonline.com/NYC-Online/blog.php. We invite you to post your comments and reply to others! This piece may be duplicated or printed with permission.]
The MTA employs 70,000 people with a budget of $10.9 billion. There are many managerial, marketing, public relations and other office staff who could probably be cut to help ease the budget deficit without raising transit fares or cutting services. MTA officials should move aggressively so riders don’t become aggressive because of declining services. Eliminate waste at your home, MTA CEO Elliot Sander, before you keep New Yorkers homebound in theirs.IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog is a quick comment on an older New York City news headline. Unforeseen NYCo website development delays prevented it’s publication before now. For readership continuity, 100’s of older headlines are to be posted in chronological order until this blog is current. Though some of the stories may no longer be as relevant as they once were, they remain interesting news items worthy of this site’s mention and viewer comments.
[This is a copyrighted editorial, originally published on http://www.NEWYORKCITYonline.com/NYC-Online/blog.php. We invite you to post your comments and reply to others! This piece may be duplicated or printed with permission.]
Ridership on New York City’s buses and trains will continue its five-year rise. That, according to MTA figures and estimates. Expect fares to rise as well under the MTA's questionable management policies.IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog is a quick comment on an older New York City news headline. Unforeseen NYCo website development delays prevented it’s publication before now. For readership continuity, 100’s of older headlines are to be posted in chronological order until this blog is current. Though some of the stories may no longer be as relevant as they once were, they remain interesting news items worthy of this site’s mention and viewer comments.
[This is a copyrighted editorial, originally published on http://www.NEWYORKCITYonline.com/NYC-Online/blog.php. We invite you to post your comments and reply to others! This piece may be duplicated or printed with permission.]
A recent audit reported that the MTA is three years behind the introduction of new anti-terror measures. The MTA’s response? 36 of 40 planned construction projects are, “underway.” It also pointed to its “See Something, Say Something” program as evidence of progress. It seems that auditors and others are seeing something that’s dangerously wrong and the MTA is saying something else.IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog is a quick comment on an older New York City news headline. Unforeseen NYCo website development delays prevented it’s publication before now. For readership continuity, 100’s of older headlines are to be posted in chronological order until this blog is current. Though some of the stories may no longer be as relevant as they once were, they remain interesting news items worthy of this site’s mention and viewer comments.
[This is a copyrighted editorial, originally published on http://www.NEWYORKCITYonline.com/NYC-Online/blog.php. We invite you to post your comments and reply to others! This piece may be duplicated or printed with permission.]
Commercials for commuters and communities. That’s what the MTA is testing in Manhattan with huge digital screens on the sides of buses on the M23 route. If they're pleased with the results, screens will be installed on at least 200 buses early next year. Titan Worldwide has a 10-year contract with NYC for this advertising. Using GPS technology, they transmit different ads based on each bus' location. In this way, they target ads to a specific market which should deliver better results for the advertiser. The screens may also be used to broadcast news bulletins or "missing child" alerts. Outdoor advertising is undergoing a digital transformation. The MTA is looking to boost passenger fares with more advertising. This year, their advertising revenue is expected to hit $125 million. In an effort to make more and more money, expect to see ads in more and more places. In our "captive consumer society," sellers will always look for innovative ways to bring ads to us, rather than wait for us to stumble across those ads. If money can be made working for the seller, expect the seller to have a vehicle (in this case a New York City bus) to get their message out to the public.
A new pilot project from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority brings an old idea back to New York City. The double-decker bus is making its return debut in Manhattan, running up and down First and Second Avenues between South Ferry and Harlem. Aside from sight-seeing buses for tourists, NYC residents haven’t seen a two-deck city bus in service here since 1976. To many on the streets, they’re a welcome and compelling sight. These buses fit more people and cost less to run and maintain. 81 commuters can find seats on this new bus compared to 64 on the "accordion" buses. They run on super- low-sulphur diesel fuel. With a price tag of $650,000, they’re also $250,000 cheaper than accordion buses. It’s time to trim the trees around NYC and "put the accordions on eBay." If the tests go well, the MTA has a winner here.
The first ever local bus Rider Report Card survey is over. 22,109 riders graded bus service in 18 categories based on their own experiences. The results are in, but I bet the big bosses at the MTA wish they weren’t. Citywide, bus service in New York City received a C-minus. What a shame we can’t require Transit officials to commute to work in the same conveyances other New Yorkers have no choice but to use.
For almost three years at a Penn Station MetroCard machine, three friends illegally received FREE fares totaling $800,000! Authorities claim it was the rarest of circumstances and combinations that enabled the trio to collect these fares undetected. They sold most of the LIRR and MTA cards to a long list of eager friends. Only a routine audit of a software glitch exposed the theft. New York City cops staked out the machine and eventually made their arrests. When they finally get out of prison, the three amigos would be well advised to walk the streets, not ride the rails. Easier to resist temptation that way.
The MTA may sell corporate sponsorships of subway stations. This would generate cash for New York City Transit while granting station-naming rights to the company. It would also create mass confusion for mass transit riders. They’d be forced to relearn already familiar train stop names. Instead, why not offer exclusive advertising and special rates throughout select stations? That revenue could be used to improve that station. In the long run, changing a station’s name won’t make the subway look, smell or run any better. Money and effective management will. MTA-Mass Transit Authority-Must Try Again.
New York City's female commuters have been under attack, underground. 10% claim sexual abuse when using mass transit while an astounding 63% report being sexually harassed. Ever responsive to the immediate needs of transit riders, NYC Transit will put up signs to combat this indecency! These signs state that “sexual harassment” is a crime. Victims will be encouraged to report incidents whenever they occur. That's the MTA's response. Our subways shouldn’t be a Coney Island amusement park, "tunnel of love" for low-lives. I think more undercover cops and stiffer court sentences might reduce the problem. How about "lifetime bans" for convicted touchers from taking trains or buses with mandatory jail time if they're ever found on board? The MTA’s solution is a sad sign of our times. The poster-writing is on the wall.
NYC Transit fired a driver who refused to wear pants or culottes at work. Tahita Jenkins, 35, claims she couldn’t wear them for religious reasons (Weren't job applicants told of a "dress code" prior to employment?). The MTA thinks it’s a matter of safety for drivers; male or female. Ms. Jenkins pastor from the Holy Ghost Headquarters Prayer Band Mission of New Beginning Deliverance Church wrote a note on her behalf. It confirmed her deep religious conviction and long-standing aversion to pants. Now, Ms. Jenkins is suing New York City for reinstatement. The case will be reviewed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Religious discrimination should never be tolerated in any form or forum. However, freedom of religion shouldn’t mean that employers must accommodate the religious principles of everybody’s religion. What would an employer do for example if two employees had religious principles which opposed one another? How can the employer defer to one without offending the other? Can't be done. There are times when an individual must decide if their religious beliefs prohibit them from working where a job's requirements are contrary to those beliefs. If that’s the case, and the regulations aren’t intentionally discriminatory, it might be best to pray for divine guidance ... to find a more suitable position elsewhere.
NYC Transit President Howard Roberts Jr. spoke the train truth. It’s something all transit riders know but didn’t want to hear from an MTA official. Even with increased ridership in 2008 and two projected fare hikes over the next three years, there won’t be enough money to fix the subway’s maintenance and service problems. In fact, serious problems are very likely to get much worse. New York City has 468 train stations. Less than 25% are considered “acceptable” (probably a lot less than that) by MTA standards. Roberts claims his predecessors cut cleaning and maintenance services which exacerbated the problems. For example, we’re down to one cleaner patrolling five stations. Safety inspections are conducted every 72 hours instead of every 24 hours as before. The list of health and safety concerns stretches longer than an eight car train! The 3rd rail of the situation is this. The health and safety of riders is threatened every time they ride. Current thinking and approaches will probably never make a meaningful difference to correct these conditions. New people and new innovative ideas must be introduced NOW to fix the problems. Who can lead us from this gloomy and dangerous tunnel we’re in?
Building in the Big Apple is getting more and more expensive. Prices have risen 32% in just the past three years alone. Blame that on the costs and availability of materials, higher labor rates and the general expense of building in congested areas like New York. What’s more, an office building here will cost twice as much as in Chicago, three times as much as in Atlanta. Don’t expect costs to go down anytime within the next few years either. These higher building costs greatly affect not only office buildings and skyscrapers but large public projects too. Ground Zero, the PATH Transit Hub, the Javits Convention Center’s expansion and the MTA’s Fulton Street Transit Center have all been delayed or scaled down to save money. Mayor Bloomberg is looking to increase bid competition for public-works projects to lower costs. That may help a bit, but increased building in India and China, coupled with less available steel worldwide, may be a building not even our Superman-like mayor can vault.
A recent check of 18 subway bathrooms in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens found most were locked, poorly stocked or inadequately maintained. Dov Hikind, a Brooklyn Assemblyman conducted the review. No comment yet from the MTA. Could any regular subway rider be surprised by the results? I’m not. Undoubtedly, the most surprised individual was one of Hikind’s inspectors. On his tour, he walked in on two men engaged in sexual activity! Maybe they were tourists from a third world country who were glad enough just to have indoor plumbing … whether it worked or not.
Brooklyn imam Siraj Wahhaj is behind a campaign to advertise in 1,000 NYCTA subway cars this September during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Wahhaj is a former member of the Nation of Islam. He’s also the first Muslim to deliver an invocation at the U.S. House of Representatives. Several years ago, he was named as one of one hundred seventy unindicted co-conspirators in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and plans for the destruction of other buildings here in New York City. Nevertheless, Islam is one of the most revered religions in the world. There are, and will always be, radical individuals from all religions who don't extol the best virtues of their religion. That fact shouldn’t diminish another follower’s beliefs nor have non-believers think any less of that religion. Religious knowledge should always trump what we know about those who look to subvert an entire religion for their own goals. The Islamic group states its goal with these ads is to promote the true nature of Islam to non-Muslims. Hopefully, this is true. Knowledge is better than ignorance. The group’s ads will invite transit riders to visit whyislam.org to learn more about the faith. The imam’s expressed beliefs are certainly inflammatory to most Americans, but this is still the great country of America where religious tolerance and differing viewpoints are permitted. So long as the group’s ads don’t incite violence and are in strict accordance with the advertising policies of the MTA, they should be posted. New Yorkers will undoubtedly respond to these ads as they do to most other subway messages; either with a lack of interest or graffiti.
Between September, 1997 & 2007, bus riders grew 22% yet service was increased by only 15%. As one might have guessed, service in Manhattan and Staten Island fared better than bus service in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. The New York City Transit Authority says ridership was depressed in the mid nineties. They think today’s service levels are at the correct levels. Gene Russianoff, of the Straphangers Campaign disagrees. He believes the surge in bus travel was not met with the proper increase in buses. So the question is, are today’s commuters riding comfortably on the bus … or being tossed in front of it?
The MTA has raised the fare evasion penalty on buses and trains from $60 to $100. This is just the first increase in twenty years. It’s strange how hikes for these petty turnstile criminals come less frequently than the fare increases for New York's paying commuters. Maybe some crooks at the MTA are more sympathetic towards them.
One day in 2015 (Scheduled end date but we all know it be later.), a Long Island Rail Road tunnel to Grand Central Station is to be completed. The first leg of that $7.2 billion LIRR tunnel was recently dug. The next section should be completed by the end of this summer. Both MTA chief Elliot Sander and Gene Russianoff of the Straphangars Campaign are happily on-board with the project. It's nice to see positive action below ground that will benefit New York City. It's much preferable to the typical head-in-the-sand, ostrich behavior by government agencies when it comes to obtaining favorable results.
