SAFETY, RELIABILITY, EFFICIENCY: THE
MTA’S 2022 NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
many of whom struggle with mental illness
and homelessness.
There’s also a significant impact on service to
consider here. In December alone, there were 116
incidents of unauthorized persons on the tracks,
which resulted in over 2,000 delays for customers.
This cannot continue, which is why I’ve put
together a task force within the MTA focused on
preventing track trespass.
With support from the state and city, we will
do better for New Yorkers.
The second piece of the puzzle is reliability.
It’s no secret that service has been put to the
test during the omicron surge, like every other
agency and company in the region.
With many in our frontline workforce out sick,
we’ve had to deal with staffing shortages that
led to some longer wait times and line
suspensions.
But thanks to the strategic thinking of our
operations planning team, we’re setting a realistic
schedule every day. It’s not perfect by any
measure, but every one of our 472 subway stations
has service, with buses holding strong
at all 16,000 stops on the streets — leaving no
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | JAN. 14 - JAN. 20, 2022 11
OP-ED
BY JANNO LIEBER
It’s a new year but the MTA’s core mission remains
the same — to keep New York moving with
safe, reliable and cost-effective service. Each of
these points is equally important.
I’ll start with safety, which is the number one
concern of current and returning riders according
to our latest customer survey. Security must
be prioritized if we’re going to continue rebuilding
ridership post-COVID, and we’re working
closely with Governor Hochul, Mayor Adams and
Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell to address
New Yorkers’ concerns.
All three refreshingly understand that perception
is reality when it comes to the subways.
Last week, they stood together with MTA officials
to lay out a public safety strategy that rightly
focuses on outreach and services for our most
vulnerable New Yorkers and NYPD visibility on
platforms and on board trains.
These efforts are especially important as we
continue to deal with crime and the growing issue
of unauthorized persons on our tracks. These
episodes often end tragically for the people involved,
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commuter stranded.
As more employees recover from the virus and
new hires finish training, it will only get better.
All the while, we continue to look for ways to increase
speeds and improve efficiency.
The last component to our core mission is
cost-effectiveness. To help riders to get the best
deal possible, the MTA is launching its first-ever
fare capping pilot next month for customers using
OMNY.
Additionally, we’re making it easier than ever
to apply for a reduced fare MetroCard by introducing
online applications, while working with
the city to expand its Fair Fares program for lowincome
New Yorkers.
Commuter railroad customers can expect a
deal with a new 20-trip ticket option coming in
February, along with reduced rates for monthly
passes and the extension of our weekend flat fare
City Ticket to all weekday off-peak trains.
To sum it up, a better MTA is on the way in
2022. We look forward to welcoming you aboard.
Janno Lieber is the MTA’s acting chairman and
CEO.
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