MTA needs to adapt to ’24/7 rush hour’ after COVID: Stringer

The MTA must adjust its duty hours to meet the demands of a “24/7 rush hour” that has become dominant in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, City Comptroller Scott Stringer said on Sunday. .

With many white-collar workers continuing to work from home for part or most of the work week, ridership patterns leveled out by time and place, according to data analyzed by Stringer’s office. This means a higher percentage of passengers traveling by bus, on weekends and in the early hours than before the pandemic.

“Rush hour is not nine to five, Monday through Friday. Rush hour is 24 hours a day, seven days a week, ”Stringer said at a press conference in Manhattan on Sunday.

“We need to prioritize where people are and where people take transit,” he said, highlighting data that shows service workers are more likely to live and work outside of Manhattan than white collar workers, 89% of whom work in Manhattan.

“New Yorkers working in these departments, shift work, face-to-face industries generally don’t adhere to the standard 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday schedule and will often live and work in boroughs other than Manhattan, ”the report said.

To respond to changing travel habits and attract more passengers to public transport, Stringer asked the MTA to run trains and buses every six minutes from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 8 p.m. a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Weekend trains currently run for up to 12 minutes between them.

A spokesperson for the MTA responded that the transport authority “continued to operate more than 90 percent of metro and bus services for about 55 percent of customers before the pandemic.”

“We recognize the essential role the MTA plays in the recovery of the region’s economy and have announced the exploration of new pricing options while continuously providing better service with available resources,” said the spokesperson, Aaron Donovan.