By Philip Newman
Straphangers who ride the F train have given it the same C−minus grade as the previous year, but they told the New York City Transit Authority that subway car cleanliness had declined.
The riders of the F line, which runs from Jamaica−179th Street in Queens to Coney Island−Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn, filled out report cards in December.
Transit Authority officials said the Customer Satisfaction level of patrons of the F was 87 percent, also the same as the year before.
“The F line is the third−longest line in the system and a slight delay in service usually negatively impacts the line,” said NYCTA President Howard Roberts. “We are closely monitoring service on the line with a goal of providing adequate service and minimizing delays during trips for our customers.”
The category “cleanliness of subway cars” dropped from a C−minus to a D−plus in the latest balloting.
On the other hand, two categories, “ease of use of subway turnstiles” and “availability of MetroCard vending machines,” earned the highest grade: B−minus.
“Signs in stations that help riders find their way” and “train announcements that are easy to hear” improved from C to C−plus and D to D−plus, respectively.
Customer satisfaction indicators showed that “station announcements that are easy to hear,” “station announcements that are informative,” “working elevators and escalators in stations” and “lack of scratchitti in subway cars” improved by at least three percentage points over the 2007 index.
Riders of the F line prioritized the top five improvements they would like to see on the line as follows: “Reasonable wait times for trains” was first as it was in 2007, “Minimal delays during trips” was second (third in 2007), “Adequate room on board at rush hour” was third (second in 2007); “Station announcements that are easy to hear” came in fourth (same as in 2007); and “cleanliness of stations” was fifth (also the same as in 2007).
Subway riders mailed in 7,774 ballots and sent 384 responses via e−mail.
Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e−mail at news@timesledger.com or phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 136.
