WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES OCTOBER 1, 2020 13
Amid pandemic struggles, some progress made in NYC Transit
BY SARAH E. FEINBERG
To say it’s been a rough six
months is an understatement;
the COVID crisis is and remains
a national nightmare. But for now,
the smoke is starting to clear here
in New York: schools are reopening,
indoor dining is set to resume, and
most importantly for us at Transit,
riders are starting to return to the
system in greater numbers.
We’re inching closer to 2 million
daily riders on the subway and holding
steady at over 1 million on buses.
This is great news.
I hope you’re among those joining
us. The truth is, if you give us a
chance, you might be surprised. For
OP-ED
starters, the system is cleaner than
ever thanks to our around-the-clock
disinfecting efforts on rolling stock
and in stations, and we’re more focused
than ever on improving the
customer experience.
Case in point, the rollout of OMNY
— even the pandemic can’t slow us
down. We just passed the 75 percent
completion mark for subway stations,
and all Bronx buses will be equipped
with the new fare payment system
in October. By the end of the year, it
will be available everywhere.
Our new normal has proven just
how crucial it is to have a contactless
system in place. The market share
of customers using OMNY skyrocketed
by 95 percent over the last six
months, and we’re fast approaching
20 million taps since launching in
spring 2019.
This week, we’re also reprinting
the subway station map for the first
time in two years, the longest stretch
between printings ever.
The new edition includes several
updates: the renaming of two stations
in Brooklyn at Medgar Evers
College; the restoration of N express
service in Brooklyn; and new accessibility
markers at stations like the
86th St R, Astoria Boulevard N/W,
1st Avenue L and Bedford Avenue L.
To clarify, these updates appeared
online, in our apps and on in-station
screens right away, but printings
are sporadic. Now the new map will
be installed inside train cars and in
stations.
I want all New Yorkers to be able
to get around our city as easily as
possible — with all the up-to-date
route information they might need,
a quick and seamless way to pay the
fare, and above all, a system that is
safe and clean to visit. It’s as simple
as that.
Everyone at Transit is working
hard to keep us moving forward,
like we were before the pandemic.
Pre-COVID, subways and buses were
seeing the best on-time performance
in years, with our highest ridership
since 2017. We’re not letting that
progress go down the drain. Come
ride with us and see for yourself.
Sarah Feinberg is interim MTA New
York City Transit president.
SNAPS
SAIL BOATS IN LITTLE BAY PARK
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