For Some MTA Riders, Longer Waits The New Norm
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More than three weeks into the biggest subway and bus service cuts in a generation, there have been some unexpected consequences for MTA riders including longer wait times, fewer seats and extra fares. NY1's John Mancini filed the following report.This summer's service cuts have been anything but a smooth ride for commuters, who say they are waiting longer and competing even harder for a place to sit.
"Forget about that. What seat? You have to be very strategic and find maybe the very back of the train or the very front of the train and position yourself in such a way so you can jockey for position," said transit rider Olmon Hairston.
Before the V and W lines were dropped, the off-peak standard had been a seat for every rider. Now trains aren’t deemed overcrowded unless more than a quarter of the passengers have to stand. Crowds mean delays, and riders say they build more time into their trips.
"Probably an additional 15 to 20 minutes. I spend more time traveling than actually at my desk, I feel sometimes," said transit rider Alice Ellis.
All four million riders affected by the cuts are facing a proposed 7.5 percent fare hike in January. But elimination of 37 bus routes has meant some riders have to switch buses to complete their trip. Now, unless they buy unlimited MetroCards, they have to pay for transfers that were once free.
"If the bus driver is nice enough, he'll let us get on, knowing we had to take a couple of buses. And sometimes they are just tough and we have to pay another fare," said transit rider Tomas Ortiz.
Some riders have long had to use so-called "three-legged transfers" when they switch from one bus to another, and then make another connection. The service cuts created more of them. The MTA has let riders on those routes pay only one fare in the past, but those facing it for the first time now won't get that break.
"It's bad enough somebody has to transfer two times to get where they need to go. They shouldn't have to pay two fares," said MTA Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee Executive Director William Henderson.
Advocates warn that the full impact of the cuts really won’t be felt until September, when schoolkids come back from vacation, and many New Yorkers return from summer breaks. That’s also when the MTA will have a better handle on ridership and revenue numbers.