More transit riders feel safer riding the subway when a station agent is present, according to an Internet poll conducted by the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) Straphangers Campaign.
The poll of 627 riders was conducted from Monday, June 15 to Tuesday, June 16.
The results, released on Wednesday, June 17, showed 63 percent of those polled responded positively, indicating that they do feel safer when a subway agent is present. Sixteen percent responded negatively; 21 percent were indifferent.
The results of the poll are significant because transit officials are reportedly planning to eliminate 570 customer assistance agents at 158 locations throughout Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens over the next year and a half (Staten Island is not served by a subway).
“Riders want a human presence at the entrances to the subways,” said Straphangers Campaign spokesperson Gene Russianoff, a NYPIRG staff attorney.
The MTA is also reportedly planning to eliminate 78 full-time clerks at 36 stations by closing one of two existing booths at each station.
In Queens, this plan would affect the Main Street terminus of the No. 7 train in Flushing. The Main Street station would retain two clerks from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. everyday due to volume, but the second clerk would be removed at all other times.
“Riders want a human presence at the entrances to the subways,” said Straphangers Campaign spokesperson Gene Russianoff, a NYPIRG staff attorney.
Russianoff said the poll of 627 riders was conducted because the MTA was likely to propose the plan at its board meeting on Wednesday, June 24. “The results are posted on our website for people to see, and part of our ongoing efforts to convince the MTA not to do this,” Russianoff said.
The opinion poll question was: “Station Customer Agents are the maroon vested employees of the MTA that provide customer assistance to the public, services like: providing travel information to riders; assisting riders with fare purchases at MetroCard vending machines, as well as contacting the proper authorities in the case of an emergency. Do you feel safer traveling on the subway with a station agent present?”
Almost 17,000 people have registered with the Straphangers Campaign to receive updates on transit development or alerts about transit delays. Registrants were sent an email on Friday, June 12, asking if they would like to participate in the poll.
To view the results, go to www.straphangers.org, click on “opinion poll” on the left side of the screen. In the poll results area, click to view the results of older polls.
