The City Council’s Committee on Transportation, chaired by Councilman John Liu, recently held an oversight hearing to investigate “Weekend Subway and Bus Service: Assessing Frequency, Adequacy, and Disruption of Service in the Wake of Increased Ridership.” This hearing was convened to address continuing rider complaints about poor transit service on weekends.
The MTA testimony largely expanded on the blanket explanation that “trains are not running due to repair work.”
Chairperson Liu stated, “The ‘due to repair work' excuse is insufficient. Weekend transit riders are more and more incredulous that the frequency and duration of shutdowns are really necessary.”
The MTA officials promised to provide documentation on planned service shutdowns to the Committee for the purpose of being held accountable for the work planned for the period of the shutdowns. The MTA officials also testified that the MTA's standard for weekend service is to run enough subway trains so that all passengers can have a seat, and that although the half-fare weekend discounts are expected to significantly increase weekend ridership, there will be no increase in transit service.
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