The MTA's New Bosses?

a controversial shake-up at the top [View this email in your browser]( Who's In Charge Of The MTA Now? Plus: A bus got stuck in a townhouse. Subway ridership is booming in Queens. And former Uber addicts are rediscovering the thrill of flagging a yellow cab. By James Ramsay [Andrew Cuomo, Sarah Feinberg, and Pat Foye sit at a table in front of a train for a press conference] Ron Adar/Sopa Images/Shutterstock On Tuesday of this week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo put forward plans to replace MTA chair and CEO Pat Foye with two different people. Interim NYC Transit chief Sarah Feinberg would take over the chair position, and Janno Leiber, the MTA's chief development officer, would become the agency's CEO. On Wednesday, state lawmakers rejected the plan. In order to make the change — splitting the chair and CEO positions, both of which are currently held by one person, into two separate jobs — the Legislature would've technically needed to pass a bill allowing the governor to appoint the MTA's CEO without approval from the State Senate. And the State Senate wasn't having it. "We're nobody's rubber stamp," said Sen. Michael Gianaris. "Given that the MTA’s upper brass has been heavily politicized the last several months, attacking the governor's political opponents, consolidating even more power over the agency with a very short amount of time to review and comment on any proposal is not something we're interested in." Letting the governor pick the CEO of the MTA without Senate approval also didn’t sit well with John Samuelsen, an MTA board member and the president of the Transport Workers Union. "We view that as problematic and not in the interest of transit workers or anybody employed by the MTA," Samuelsen said. The MTA's chair and CEO positions haven't always been held by a single person. But legislation was passed in 2009 to combine the two jobs in the name of giving the leader of the MTA more independence from the governor. Someone close to Feinberg [told the New York Times]( that she didn't want the dual chair and CEO job because she's looking to reduce her workload after a tumultuous year of leading New York City Transit through the pandemic. (An MTA spokesperson disputed the claim.) As for Lieber, there is support for making him the CEO. But some worried that splitting the top position would also create confusion about who's actually responsible for the transit system. "I do believe Janno would’ve been excellent as a CEO and should’ve been given every opportunity to succeed," said Bob Linn, one of four New York City representatives on the MTA board. (As of Thursday afternoon, there are reports that [the Legislature has reached a deal]( to allow the MTA's CEO and chair positions to be split, but both individuals will have to get Senate approval.) Regardless of what kind of leadership rearrangement is going on, transit advocates have been [reminding commuters]( that the person ultimately responsible for providing safe and reliable train and bus service is, and will remain, the governor. — [Reporting by Stephen Nessen]( A Bus Got Stuck In A Brooklyn Townhouse [a bus stuck in a Brooklyn townhouse] Scott Heins/Gothamist An MTA bus that crashed into a Prospect Lefferts Gardens townhouse on Monday hit a load-bearing wall inside the building, forcing city officials to leave it in place. At least 16 passengers on board were treated for injuries, though nobody was critically hurt. The tenants of the building, which includes one residential unit and a two-floor doctor's office, were ordered to evacuate. Onboard security camera footage [obtained by NBC 4 New York]( shows the bus driver briefly getting up out of his seat, then sitting back down and somehow losing control of the bus as he careens through traffic, slams into a parked pick-up truck, and finally crashes into the building. The MTA said the incident, which "raises questions about whether basic safety rules were followed," is under investigation. Officials said there was no evidence of a mechanical failure. The bus operator's union, TWU Local 100, said the 55-year-old driver is an MTA veteran with a long record of safe driving. The union added that the driver is "traumatized," and asked that the public not rush to judge him. As of Wednesday, the bus was still stuck. City officials said the building's owners need to install shoring to keep the structure from collapsing while the bus is removed. — [with reporting by Jake Offenhartz]( Here's What Else Is Happening Subway ridership has bounced back hardest in Queens. Two subway stations in Queens — Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue/74th Street and Flushing-Main Street — are now among the city's top 10 busiest stations, a group once dominated by Manhattan stations. Meanwhile, as overall subway ridership has risen to about 40% of pre-pandemic levels, ridership in Manhattan is only at 23%. ([THE CITY]( New Yorkers who'd developed a habit of Ubering everywhere are re-embracing public transportation and yellow cabs. Driven partly by reopening nostalgia and partly by the skyrocketing costs of app-based ride-hailing services, more New Yorkers are going analog when it comes to getting around town. "You just lift up your hand on the street, and bam, you’re whisked away," one new taxi fan said. ([The New York Times]( New York state legislators have approved a bill to set up automatic weight enforcement on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. If Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs the bill into law, New York City's Department of Transportation will be able to set up "weigh-in-motion" sensors on the BQE that can be used to fine the owners of overweight trucks that are causing major deterioration of the highway. ([AM New York]( StreetsPAC has endorsed Kathryn Garcia for New York City mayor. Eric McClure, the head of the political action committee devoted to making the city more bike- and pedestrian-friendly, said that unlike other candidates who've made big promises, Garcia is "no bullshit" and "has the chops to turn plans into action." Among other things, Garcia is the only major candidate who's signed a petition to turn 34th Avenue in Queens into a permanent linear park. ([Streetsblog]( Metro-North has expanded its capacity to show riders which cars on an approaching train are crowded. The real-time train capacity information, which is available on digital screens on the platforms and on Metro-North's Train Time app, debuted in November on the Harlem and Hudson lines. Now, it's up and running for New Haven line passengers. ([Progressive Railroading]( A 16-year-old cyclist has died after being struck in a hit-and-run in Queens last week. Corona resident Darwin Durazno was biking south on College Point Boulevard last Friday when the driver of a Toyota Camry veered across a double yellow line to overtake another vehicle and hit Durazno. No arrests have been made. ([Gothamist]( And Finally, A Message From Darnell [a tweet telling New Yorkers on the subway to vote in the upcoming primary]( [a photo of James Ramsay sitting on a vespa] James Ramsay is wishing the best for the stuck bus. (Photo by Amy Pearl) Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. 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