Good afternoon! I’m Kara Gurl, Planning and Advocacy Manager at the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, PCAC.
We applaud your decision to pause EAGLE teams following some recent disturbing incidents. It’s clear that taking a step back and going back to the drawing board to retrain and reevaluate the EAGLE teams is necessary, particularly with the internal protocol breakdown that led to multiple major incidents not being reported or elevated. No rider should fear being assaulted over a $3 fare. Thank you for making the right decision and listening to riders.
Affordability continues to be a major issue, which is why we’re so glad to see that Fair Fares is finally expanding to include New Yorkers earning up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, thanks to Speaker Menin and Mayor Mandani. This opens up opportunities to more New Yorkers around the city. Last week, PCAC testified at the City Rule Change hearing to support the implementation of this change, including a reformed renewal process for people receiving other HRA services. We’re also extremely supportive of Councilmember Hudson’s efforts to streamline enrollment and ensure that more program participants can stay enrolled from year to year. There is still work to be done, but these are great steps in the right direction.
The partnership between the city and the MTA is stronger than ever, and buses are another great example of that. We’re so excited to see that the city will install 2,900 digital countdown clocks at bus stops by 2030. This is a common-sense way to improve communication with riders who just want to know when their bus will come.
But seeing long bus wait times is aggravating and inconvenient whether you see it on the MTA app or on a bus stop countdown clock. Riders deserve better, more reliable, and more predictable service, and we’re confident that the recently released Bus Action Plan will help. It’s so encouraging to see the work on the Flatbush Avenue busway and around the city, and we hope to see the MTA and DOT continue to collaborate for true Bus Rapid Transit in all five boroughs. Thank you.