With more and more people getting back on the MTA busses and trains, many people are asking about the safety of the system. I set out to not only see how people are feeling as they ride our city’s mass transit system but also to investigate what the MTA has in place to improve the system and how the NYPD is doing to ensure commuters are safe. I started by interviewing my peers.
I first spoke with TCA senior, Miguel Rodriguez.
“Which transportation do you think is easier when traveling to a certain destination, bus or train ?”
Mr. Rodriguez states, ” OWW! good looking question I am probably going to have to say the bus, because through my experience I haven’t seen a lot of negative results of taking the bus compared to the train I’ve seen more like theirs more fatality on trains. People get pushed off on the train tracks or they’re incidents on the trains, so I prefer buses because I don’t see a lot of bad things happening on the bus. After all, you’re around more people and are open. So, I say busses for public transportation are better in my opinion than a train.”
“What is one way this Public Transportation can change or improve so it can become better for you or the citizens of New York?”
“Well, I would say, so far the system is really good. But, what I would recommend for them to improve is probably adding like these machines where you can see the exact time of when the bus will come and how many minutes you have to wait. I prefer that we have that, so we don’t always have to be using our phones I recommend that, because I do see those from time to time for certain bus stops, but I see more of the normal ones that say what bus stop it is but you do not see the time of when it is coming. So, you have to rely on you’re phone to look at it. So, I would say it would probably be a good adjustment for the public transportation for busses.”
“Do you feel safe when taking the bus or crossing the street to go to a certain bus?”
“Well, the neighborhood that I grew up in there’s not a lot of violence. So, I would say yeah I do feel pretty safe but then again just like in any neighborhood you still need to keep an eye out for people, because people can be very unpredictable. So, even if you feel like you’re in the safest neighborhood you still have to be careful, since cars are very unpredictable, especially in New York. Very unpredictable if the cars hit you they do not care if you get hurt or die so you still have to be careful.”
I spoke with TCA senior Jayla Montgomery-Smith to further investigate this issue.
“What is your best comfort of transportation would it be the bus or the train?”
“The train, because I can’t take the bus.”
“What is one difficulty you had with trains?”
“Oh! I have had every single difficulty. The trains de-rallying, the trains delaying the people getting hit by my train. The power on the track being stopped, so I had to sit there on the train for like an hour and a half. Also, I had to evacuate the train, so I dealt with everything.”
“Do you think that public transportation has been decreasing lately, especially since you live far?”
” Yes! Absolutely, because I’m from Queens and I have to take like three trains just to get here and nine times out of ten they are going to delay every day, and I also play sports so after 8:00 pm the trains run local. So, they add on ten stops and it just makes the ride way longer than it is supposed to be.”
“Do you think the NYPD are doing their job with trains?”
“No! Not at all there are the homeless sleeping on the trains. But, I mean is not a problem but they lay down on a cross of an entire row of seats like they take up all the seats and then they leave the garbage there, and then it smells in the train and then there are people in the train station doing drugs and putting stuff up their arm and there’s no cops there and when there are cops they don’t say anything. The only thing they ever really do is tell them to sit up or not lay on the floor that’s it.”
After listening to student voices, I spoke with Mr. Joel Toribio, an employee of the MTA.
“What is one way that MTA service is working on to improve the busses and trains?”
” Well for the last few years we are getting more new people, and getting new employees so were getting more busses out and the time schedules are being more frequent now. So, throughout the whole boroughs were getting more services as more busses out.”
“What is a way that MTA service is keeping passengers safe?”
” Well the major is trying to get more police out on the platforms, but due to the recent acts of the major defunding the NYPD. We’re still trying to do our best to make sure that people remain safe and secure. By, having police do overtime and that’s the most thing we can do right now is having them, and then we have sometimes station agents and myself go out on the platform to make sure everything is fine, safe, and secure that’s the most we can do right now.”
“Do You think theirs sometimes conflicts with citizens passing freely in train stations along the way that can cause a problem to the MTA service?”
” Oh sure! we get that all the time yeah that is going to be an ongoing thing. I don’t think there is a solution to that unless if we get more public eye and more attention to all the platforms and all the stations to see what is really the cause of it and I feel like that is an internal thing that we’re still way behind on that and little by little I think that were going to catch up is just that is going to take a while.”
MTA passenger Casey Santana also offered his sentiments while riding the train.
“What are some things the MTA is doing to make busses and trains more convenient?”
“I think one of the things they are doing is using this OMNY -( One Metro New york) system. They probably started about 2 years from now so people can pay with their phones, credit cards, and watches or they can use their credit cards directly. I think more ways to pay has been very convenient especially for the busses, because I know before you had to get change and that’s something most people can’t do. I would say the OMNY system.”
“What is more convenient for you the trains or the busses to get to your destination?”
” Trains! I am not patient enough for busses to stop every two blocks and just the places I need to go. The train stations fall perfectly on to get to the places I need to be.”
Finally, I emailed NYPD Assistant Commissioner Carlos Nieves who informed me about steps the NYPD is taking to improve safety on the MTA. He also offered tips on how riders can stay safe.
“What is the NYPD doing to improve safety on the buses, trains, and stations?”
“To improve safety on buses and inside train stations, the NYPD will be visible to passengers. This includes: positioning officers at turnstiles; random bag screenings at subway entrances; random spot checks by officers at bus and subway stops; and officers riding the subway and buses with passengers within their assigned patrolling sector. Officers standing near turnstiles allows them to ensure subway riders are accessing subways responsibly. Those who are not found acting in accordance with the rules of the subway system may be subjected to fines or, in other instances, taken into custody.”
“Officers are encouraged to converse with passengers, subway conductors, and bus operators, asking questions and ensuring their comfortability as they continue their travels. Additionally, cameras are installed at many street intersections and inside of subway stations. Officers who monitor these cameras will keep an eye out for suspicious activity and disseminate information to other officers and investigators should they become aware of something happening at a specific location.”
“What can a student do if he or she feels unsafe on trains or buses?”
“If a student feels unsafe, they should first and foremost seek out a police officer or MTA worker. Crime in subways accounts for approximately 2% of all crime in New York City – a very small margin. However, should commuters feel unsafe, seek out a police officer or MTA worker immediately. Cell phone service has improved inside of subway stations, and Wi-Fi is also available, allowing for the opportunity to dial 9-1-1 or contact first responders. While riding the subway, make your way to the conductor car (marked by the striped black and white sign found overhead at the middle of a subway stop) or riding close to the bus operator. Identify larger clusters of passengers and stay close to them. Also, keep the volume low if you are using headphones/ear pieces — being aware of your surroundings is important to identifying a problem and considering a solution.”
“How can NYPD improve stations to avoid homelessness and keep passengers safe?”
“I would recommend you inquire with the MTA in terms of subway station improvements, as we only utilize their stations to conduct police matters. However, while patrolling stations, NYPD officers and investigators are encouraged to speak with commuters and MTA workers. If they are alerted to a potential unsheltered individual, the NYPD will offer services to the individual(s), such as helping them find shelter or receiving medical aid if they are in physical pain or going through a mental health crisis. Outreach services also frequent subway stations to help an unsheltered individual.”
“Is there a way NYPD can work with students to increase safety in public transportation?”
“Additionally, NCO’s will also patrol the streets and the bus stops within their assigned sector. Like transit NCO’s, they too frequent their assigned sector, talking with the community and listening to their concerns. Accessing nyc.gov and navigating your way to Neighborhood Policing will help you locate the precinct of the area of your concern. In both cases, contacting the listed Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCO’s) will make them aware of an issue. At certain times throughout the year, they will conduct meetings to listen to concerned New Yorkers and provide a plan to make your travels safer. This information will also be given to their colleagues and used as they conduct their daily policing duties.”
Utterly, we can see that being a citizen of New York, NYPD Police, or MTA Operator there are many highs and lows of experience we can go through, especially as teenagers. Particularly, having an understanding of how we can adjust to the lives of transportation is how we can make ourselves as citizens adapt to any conflicts that may arise around us in our environment of New York City. As well as, normalizing on the responsibilities we need to take on to help our transportation system become healthier and our lives safer to increase our neighborhood policies and transit when getting to our particular destination around the city.
