Transportation advocates with the Riders Alliance gathered Sunday in Brooklyn to relaunch its six-minute service campaign, asking for faster service on all MTA buses and trains.

“What we’re asking for now is a targeted state investment from the governor in more train and bus service,” Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director with Riders Alliance, said.

According to Pearlstein, the six-minute ask is doable since he says over half of subway lines currently run at six-minute intervals during rush hour.

What You Need To Know

  • Transportation advocates gathered Sunday in Brooklyn to relaunch it’s six-minute service campaign asking for faster service on all MTA buses and trains

  • Danny Pearlstein with the Riders Alliance said the six-minute ask is doable since he says over half of subway lines currently run at six-minute intervals during rush hour

  • When asked about six-minute service in an interview with CBS’ Marcia Kramer, MTA CEO Janno Lieber said the issue is affordability

“It’s something that could be phased in and with an investment in operating dollars of roughly 200 million dollars we could have a phase that has six minute service throughout the day and week,” he said.

“Traveling is hard on everybody,” Leilani Cook said at the rally.

Cook said she lives in Jamaica Queens and has waited as long as 45 minutes for the bus.

“When the 45 minutes comes, it’s if you could even get on the bus because it’s packed,” she said.

Other commuters who spoke with NY1 agreed.

“Wait times, I feel they could be better, but I do use the app so I know what my time wait is before I get there,” Avery James said.

“Here it’s half an hour, 25 minutes, 35 minutes for the bus,” Annette Baptiste said while waiting at the bus at a stop near the Barclays Center.

When asked about six minute service in an interview with CBS’ Marcia Kramer, MTA CEO Janno Lieber said the issue is affordability.

“Right now the MTA because of the reduced ridership from covid has a structural deficit after the money from Washington that Chuck Schumer helped us get runs out in a couple years we have a deficit because of a shortage of revenue, I would love to add more service but first we have to solve the budget problem,” Lieber said.

“If you’re lucky, it will be on time,” Annette Baptiste, a Brooklyn resident, said.

Baptiste said she was one of the lucky ones on Sunday as a bus pulled up within minutes of waiting.

She added she has no issues with train times but acknowledges busses may face more delays because of heavy traffic.

“I think the governor needs to do something but you can’t please all the people all the time,” Baptiste said.