Subway? No Way: Report Says Less People Taking MTA Trains
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A new report has found that fewer people are taking the subways.
MTA's preliminary monthly report from August shows weekday ridership dropped 2.5 percent.
Ridership on the weekends dropped off significantly, falling nearly nine percent.
A representative for the MTA board suggests the growing number of delays and service changes due to "track and signal work" are causing commuters to get discouraged with taking public transportation.
Despite Transit Authority chief Andy Byford's assurances that service is improving, the subways are fighting an uphill battle against their own failing reputation with customers. In 2017, a five-year study found that subway delays had more than doubled, from 28,000 a month in 2012 to a staggeringly poor 70,000 delays a month in 2017.
MORE: Report: NYC Subway Delays Have More Than Doubled Over Last 5 Years
After announcing that the MTA planned to raise fares in both 2019 and 2021, Byford said he's proposed a target of 10,000 "incidents" by the end of 2018.
MORE: Straphangers Irate Over MTA's Plan To Hike Fares Twice Over Next 3 Years
According to the new report, "six years ago there were 30,000 incidents per month recorded, and currently, there are 60,000 incidents per month."
The findings add that subways riders are turning to ride-sharing services instead of waiting for the train.