Author: SHANNON NAJMABADI
More New Yorkers Ignoring Subway and Bus Mask Mandate as Riders, Experts Debate Value
Mask compliance among subway and bus riders has sunk to its lowest level since early in the pandemic, the MTA’s most recent figures show, as commuters increasingly ignore the transit agency’s mandate to cover up amid mixed messages all around. Just 64% of subway riders covered their faces correctly between April 4-15 — the lowest […]
Graffiti on Subway Surges as World Visits NYC for ‘Risky Game’
On April 18, the French graffiti artist Julien Blanc posted photos to Instagram of his signature “JiBEONE” tag on a Manhattan rooftop where he was, he wrote, “waiting for the sunrise.” Days later, Blanc and graffiti partner Pierre Audebert were both struck and killed by a train at an elevated station along the No. 3 […]
There’s a Spike of People on NYC’s Subway Tracks. It’s Leading to Deadly Accidents.
Dealing with a 20% surge in the number of people on subway tracks since 2019, train operators say they have become even more aware of the potential for tragedy along certain stretches that are hotspots for activity. The West 4th Street, Times Square-42nd Street and 125th Street stations along the Lexington Avenue line last year […]
Bumpy Road Ahead for Black Cars as Adams’ TLC Reverses de Blasio Plan on New Licenses
The Taxi and Limousine Commission last week yanked a potential lifeline tossed to the battered livery car industry during Bill de Blasio’s final days in City Hall — and livery leaders fear the move could lead to a “death sentence” for the shrinking sector. The TLC’s March 23 decision to not issue any new for-hire […]
TLC Blows by Deadline in Struggle to Get 50% of City Taxis Wheelchair Accessible
The city has yet to meet its mandate to make half of all yellow taxicabs accessible to people in wheelchairs and scooters — after blowing a 2020 deadline set nearly a decade ago by the settlement of a federal class-action lawsuit. The landmark 2013 deal, which called for 50% of the 13,587 medallion cabs to […]
MTA Will Retool More Express Buses for Leg Room After Complaints
What’s new will be old again. After being hit with commuter complaints about the lack of leg room on the latest MTA express buses, the transit agency has agreed to adjust seat configurations on more than 250 of its newest coaches by reverting to a more spacious layout used by models assembled between 2012 and […]
First Ever ‘Boro Taxi’ Driver Hits Brakes as Industry Tanks
In the summer of 2013, Nancy Reynoso became the city’s first green taxi driver, proudly slapping her permit number — AA001 — on a Toyota Camry that carried her family’s dreams. “Maybe you could retire someday or leave the car running and rent it,” she said. “That was the dream that never happened.” Now, Reynoso […]
MTA Backtracks on Platform Doors, $100M Plans Set for Three Stations by 2024
Facing a surge in the number of people trespassing on the tracks — and weeks after a woman was pushed to her death in front of a train — the MTA is opening the door to testing platform barriers in three subway stations. The commitment from Janno Lieber, the MTA Chairperson and CEO, marks an […]
Crews Stall Trains Over Shopping Cart Worries as New Rule Goes Unheeded
The death of a motorman in 2020 led the MTA to ban large carts from the subway after fire investigators said a man ignited one, causing a train to burst into flames. But the union that represents subway workers says enforcement of the ban on the carts often associated with homelessness has been next to […]
Brazen Attack on Train Operator Points to Safety Gap for MTA Workers
An attack this month on a subway motorwoman who was roughed up while at the controls of a train in The Bronx highlights gaps in safety that workers say leave them exposed to dangers on duty. Ty Jeter told THE CITY that a glitchy intercom system kept her from reaching the train’s conductor for help […]