Plus: As ridership plummets, the MTA wants a $4 billion bailout
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As Ridership Plummets, The MTA Begs For A Bailout
Plus: One MTA station cleaner on working through the coronavirus. The mayor suspends his crackdown on delivery cyclists who ride e-bikes. And Andy Byford is on the coast of England, doing alright it seems.
By [James Ramsay](mailto:james@wnyc.org?subject=We%20the%20Commuters)
[several people ride a near-empty 1 train on Tuesday, March 17th]
Gretchen Robinette/Gothamist
Subway ridership is down at least 60%, bus ridership is down about 50%, and the MTA says it's now facing a "financial calamity" because of lost revenue. So, the agency is asking for a $4 billion federal bailout.
"Time and again, New Yorkers have supported disaster relief for other states and Puerto Rico when they were devastated by natural disasters and other Acts of God," MTA Chair Pat Foye wrote in a letter to New York's congressional delegation. "Now we are asking Congress to step up again and deliver for the system that is the lifeblood of New York City and the engine of the regionâs economic future."
A coalition of eight regional transit advocacy groups â which often spar with the MTA over spending issues â agreed on the need for a bailout, and sent its own letter to lawmakers pointing out if the airlines get funding, so should mass transit.
"Strong public transit is also essential to the nation's efforts to address climate change, and we cannot afford to see it decline when we must be encouraging mass transit ridership," the letter said. "At a time that the nation's airlines are asking for a $50 billion bailout, the nation's largest public transit system must be protected and should be treated with equal if not greater urgency."
Even before the coronavirus outbreak, the MTA was on precarious financial footing. Alongside the projected lost revenue, the agency is also having to [increase its spending on vital cleaning operations](.
The Manhattan Institute's Nicole Gelinas said that realistically, the MTA could need even more than a $4 billion bailout.
"What will ridership and tax revenues look like in the summer?" she said. "Will we have our tourists back, riding subways and buses? How many people will be out of work, and thus not commuting? It is wise to ask for $4 billion now because who knows if we'll get another chance from Congress, once this has all receded, but that may not even be enough."
â [Reporting by Stephen Nessen](
'What Gives Me Hope Is Going To Work Every Day': One MTA Station Cleaner On Working Through The Coronavirus
[Station cleaner Shenilya Fuller, seen sweeping trash at the Jay Street Metro-Tech station](
MTA Station Cleaner Shenilya Fuller, pictured last fall. Now, she and other cleaners wear face masks and latex gloves. (Photo: Gretchen Robinette/Gothamist)
For now, Shenilya Fuller's job as a New York City Transit station cleaner [remains the same]( She sweeps the platforms and takes out the garbage at Jay Street - Metro Tech.
"It is a eerie, creepy feeling being in stations right now, Iâm gonna be honest with you," she told We The Commuters on Thursday morning. "Itâs very slow, itâs very quiet, itâs something Iâve never seen in my whole time being employed by [NYC] Transit.
"It feels very uneasy. Itâs nobody. You might get people coming through during rush hour," she said. "And then you donât know who has the virus, whoâs been coughing, whoâs not washing their hands. So youâre looking at everyone with a side-eye. Even with customers with questions, they want to be close to you when theyâre asking a question, and youâre thinking, please donât get that close to me. I donât know who youâve been around. And you still have the homeless people, theyâre still in the station, they have nowhere to go."
There's a separate crew of workers who come in to deliberately sterilize the station, but Fuller does have upgraded protective gear, including latex gloves and N95 respirator masks.
"Me personally, I change my mask two to three times a day. You don't want to wear it when you touch it with your hands," she said, adding that she is concerned about supplies running out.
While Fuller is still working normal shifts, her six-year-old daughter is now home from school, and her husband, who also works for NYC Transit, is working from home. She said that while she looks forward to getting back after each shift, she's anxious about coming into her house.
"As soon as I get in the house, I have a bag right by the door, so all of my work clothes are going directly into the bag," she said. "I have Lysol spray right at the door, iâm spraying everything. Then Iâm straight into the bathroom scrubbing my hands, scrubbing my face. I tell my daughter, 'Donât touch mommy until I'm scrubbed up.'"
In the event that she feels ill or suspects she's been exposed to someone with the virus, she said she and other employees were given a special number to call within NYC Transit's HR department. She has also been instructed not to come to work if she's feeling sick. But for all the fear and uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus, she also sees the subway system as a vital means for getting the city through this.
"What gives me hope is me going to work every day," she said. "If they ever say that weâre shutting NYC Transit down, to me, thatâs like...not the end. But man, that was our hope. Once thatâs not there, New York City comes to a standstill."
More News From Gothamist And WNYC
Natalie Fertig/WNYC
The city is ordering the NYPD to stop enforcing e-bike violations as delivery cyclists work through the pandemic. The city's roughly 40,000 delivery workers â the majority of whom are low-income, middle-aged men â have offered a lifeline to New Yorkers who are being asked to stay home. But as recently as Monday, the NYPD said it was still planning to ticket delivery workers operating throttle-assist e-bikes.
Mayor de Blasio, who's been waging a two-year war on these e-bikes and the workers who rely on them, then [announced a suspension of that enforcement "for the duration of this crisis."]( Advocates for delivery cyclists are also asking the city to provide them with gloves and masks, along with paid sick leave for contract workers that don't currently have access to it.
Alternate Side Parking has been suspended through Tuesday, March 24th. Many New Yorkers, including several City Council members, had grown frustrated with the mayor for requiring residents to move their cars multiple times a week when they're simultaneously being advised to stay inside.
"We'll see how it goes," [the mayor said on Tuesday]( after announcing the one-week suspension. "There is a real connection between clean streets, clean neighborhoods, and overall health care." The city has said that anyone under isolation who has received a ticket can appeal to the Department of Finance, but should be able to provide medical documentation or testimony proving that they couldn't move their car.
Additionally, the mayor issued an executive order restricting cabs and other for-hire vehicles to one passenger per car, with the exception of "real couples" that are already together. It's unclear how this would be enforced.
What Else We're Reading
The MTA has drafted passes that transit workers would carry in the event of a citywide curfew. Workers would show the note, which is signed by the acting MTA police department chief, if they were to be stopped by a cop enforcing some kind of restriction. An agency spokesperson said the note does exist, but it's just "contingency planning" for the moment. "To be clear: We are aware of no imminent curfew," he added. ([NY Post](
Some Long Island Rail Road commuters sought refunds for their monthly passes, and aren't happy about how little they got back. Monthly passes can cost up to $500, depending on how far you're commuting; some refunds, meanwhile, were as small as 50 cents. The LIRR, which has received almost 5,000 refund requests for March monthly tickets, explained that its policy is to return the cost of the pass minus the cost of "one-way and/or weekly fares for the period the ticket has been in the customer's possession." LIRR ridership is down nearly 70% right now, according to the MTA. ([Newsday](
Even amid a pandemic, New Jersey held a public hearing yesterday about potentially raising highway tolls. If the changes are eventually approved, average New Jersey Turnpike fares would rise from $3.50 to $4.80, and Garden State Parkway tolls would go up about 30 cents, to $1.41. Some New Jerseyans, including Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, criticized Gov. Phil Murphy for not canceling the public hearing while people are being advised to stay home. ([NJ Spotlight](
Will New York City residents without cars be able to get COVID-19 tests at drive-thru testing sites? Mayor de Blasio said this week that the city plans to set up five drive-thru testing sites, similar to the one that opened last week in New Rochelle. But only about a third of the city's households have a car, and the mayor hasn't offered details yet about how this would serve people without vehicles. "We are committed to making these drive-thru testing sites as accessible as possible for New Yorkers in need and will have more details to share in the coming days," a city spokesperson said. ([Streetsblog](
Andy Byford is stuck in a seaside town in England and appears to be happy. The former New York City Transit chief was planning to take an 11-day trip to sort out his work visa, but after President Trump included British nationals in his emergency travel ban, Byford was left in Plymouth, England, where he says he's jogging, reading, and picking up groceries for his older neighbors. "I think the MTA is doing a great job under really tough circumstances," Byford said of his former employer. "I am especially proud of the front-line 'miracle workers' that are keeping the city moving and the vehicles and stations clean." ([New York Daily News](
Here He Is:
[a tweet of Andy Byford in Plymouth, England, smiling in front of the sea]
Clayton Guse/[Twitter](
Weekend Service Changes: Night of March 20th â Early Morning on March 23rd
This is a partial list of major service disruptions scheduled for the weekend. For a complete list of the MTA's Weekender updates, [check here](.
Brooklyn Bridge-bound trains will skip Longwood Av, E 149 St, E 143 St, Cypress Av and Brook Av in the Bronx.
Saturday and Sunday, Hudson Yards-bound trains will skip 69 St, 52 St, 46 St, 40 St and 33 St in Queens.
Downtown and trains will skip 50 St, 23 St and Spring St in Manhattan.
World Trade Center-bound trains and Coney Island-bound trains will skip Briarwood and 75 Av in Queens.
train service between between Broadway Junction, Brooklyn and 8 Av, Manhattan will be replaced by the M14 SBS and free shuttle buses.
Late night train service is not running.
[Check here]( for complete details about the Long Island Rail Road.
For NJ Transit, [check here]( for the latest service advisories.
Upcoming Meetings and Events
Wednesday, March 25th
Virtual joint meeting of MTA board and committees â 10:00 a.m.
New Yorkers are encouraged to [visit new.mta.info/virtualboardmeeting to view the meeting online](. The public comment period for the board meeting will also be transformed into a virtual comment period to ensure the public has an opportunity to participate. The MTA will collect public comments via video and phone on Monday, March 23rd.
[a portrait of James Ramsay]
James Ramsay is following the latest news on all things coronavirus at [Gothamist.com](. (Photo by Amy Pearl)
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