Good morning, I’m Brian Fritsch, Associate Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, PCAC.

We recently released a new report, called Ridership Returns, analyzing the changing commuting patterns on the subway post-congestion pricing. Using travel data from the MTA’s open data program, we found that subway ridership grew by 7.7% in 2025, double the 3.7% growth seen in 2024, showing a strong bounce back a year after slowing post-pandemic growth. Growth in discretionary travel is outpacing weekday rush hour growth, showing riders are choosing transit even when they have other options.

In short, the data in the report is clear: Congestion Pricing is working! It’s yet another line on the long list of successes for the program, which also includes some recent legal victories against Secretary Duffy.

We hope and expect we will soon add another legal win over the Feds on Second Avenue Subway funding, and are glad the board is keeping the project moving.

We were also thrilled to hear about the RFP for almost 2,400 new subway cars, the MTA’s largest ever order. We look forward to enhanced security and accessibility features, as well as lighter, more energy-efficient rolling stock.

We also can’t wait to try out the upgraded MTA app and look forward to the forthcoming updates to better integrate OMNY transactions and the railroads.

Ending today with three quick points of caution: First, we are pushing the NYCDOE to work harder to help get digital OMNY cards off the ground. Students deserve an OMNY card that they can rely on.

Second, we are strongly opposed to any efforts to dismantle or create unworkable loopholes in the MTA’s ACE program, and released a memo against one such effort in the State Legislature.

Third, we are very concerned about Amtrak’s lack of transparency around the Penn Station project. It seems like the master developer will be picked in around a month with almost no meaningful public input. Thank you.

The post Ridership Returns! MTA Board Testimony appeared first on PCAC.

March 23, 2026 

Good morning! I’m Kara Gurl, Planning and Advocacy Manager at the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC).  

First, thank you to the transit workers who kept us moving on Transit Employee Appreciation Day and every day. This was a particularly brutal winter for train service, and we’re thankful that riders were largely able to get around through the storms.  

But this winter, many Metro-North riders reported an abrupt change in the way that trains pulled into the stations—what we’ve now learned is called “Universal Train Spotting.” While riders may have previously waited for the train in the same spot on the platform every day, trains are now pulling all the way up to the front of the platform, shaking up the way that commuters show up for and wait for their trains. We’ve also heard reports of this happening on the LIRR more recently. 

We’re sure that there’s a reason for this policy change to ensure that trains are arriving in stations in a standardized way, but it’s important to communicate with riders in advance or in tandem with any decision that will impact their commutes. Consistency in where trains stop at stations makes sense, but the abrupt change left riders running up slippery platforms when the train no longer arrived at the spot where they’re used to catching it. As with all policy changes, riders can adapt if you clearly explain why changes are happening, why it will benefit them, and how they can change their travel behaviors to limit any inconveniences. We do appreciate that you’ve since made some tweaks and released a video explanation to address rider concerns.  

We’re similarly still hearing from riders who miss their ten-trip tickets and lament the loss of flexibility with the new and shorter ticket validity window. Thank you for making some major strides with affordability through the expanded Family Fare to age 17, extended AM peak discount for Senior, disabled, and Medicare-eligible riders, and permanent CityTicket one-way fares—these are all examples of how common-sense fare policy can help attract more people onto transit, and we hope to see detailed ticket sales data on the Open Data portal in the coming months. Thank you. 

The post Thanking Transit Workers, Improving Commutes appeared first on PCAC.

Good afternoon, I’m Brian Fritsch, Associate Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, PCAC.

We were thrilled to hear about the RFP for 2,390 subway cars, the MTA’s largest ever order and a key part of the 2025-29 capital plan. The R62 and R62As have served the MTA and riders well, but we’re very excited about the enhanced security and accessibility features, the push for lighter rolling stock to make the trains more energy-efficient, and more trains with an open gangway design to add capacity and make subway surfing nearly impossible. Replacing over 36% of the fleet is a huge endeavor, and we look forward to hearing more about the final design choices.

The MTA is building, while Washington tries to halt infrastructure investment and kill jobs. Their refusal to honor the Full Funding Grant Agreement for the Second Avenue Subway is a farce, and we applaud Governor Hochul and the MTA for taking the Feds to court. You’d think, at this point, after congestion pricing, counterterrorism funding, and the Gateway Program, Secretary Duffy would be tired of losing funding fights and lawsuits with New York, but here we are again. As we told Jose Martinez of the City, “this crap is getting old.” We hope for a quick and clear resolution.

Finally, we’re looking forward to the updates on the OMNY transition today. We’ve heard from our members and riders who feel the system has made immense reliability improvements over the last half year. We’re also pleased to hear that more customer-facing enhancements are on the way, including integration with the MTA app and critical info on reader screens that riders have asked for. We also are pushing the NYCDOE to work harder to help get digital OMNY cards off the ground. Students deserve an OMNY card that they can rely on.

Thank you.

The post New Rolling Stock, 2nd Ave Lawsuit, and OMNY appeared first on PCAC.

Last week, we released an encouraging report on the changing commuting patterns on the subway post-congestion pricing. Using travel data from the MTA’s open data program, we found that subway ridership grew by 7.7% in 2025, double the 3.7% growth seen in 2024, showing a strong bounce back a year after slowing post-pandemic growth.  

The report found that system-wide discretionary rides on the weekend grew by 9.4%, showing that weekend ridership growth continued to outpace weekday ridership, especially outside Manhattan. 

We identified 39 stations that saw ridership grow more than 20% in 2025, that is something to celebrate. Additionally, the Bedford Ave L station saw 555,760 more rides on the weekends in 2025, more than any other in the system.  

The data is clear: Congestion Pricing is working! We hope the agency will continue to support the ever-increasing number of frequent riders through enhanced fare incentives and programs that continue to make transit the most affordable way to get around our city and region. 

Also of note, PCAC testified last week at City Council Budget hearings about the long overdue expansion of the Fair Fares program and the need for NYC DOT to meet the legal mandates of the Streets Plan and to make it easier for the MTA to achieve faster and more reliable bus service. PCAC has also strongly opposed any efforts to dismantle or create unworkable loopholes in the MTA’s ACE program, and released a memo against one such effort to the state legislature last week. We believe ACE is essential as it increases bus speeds by 5% and reduces collisions by 20%. 

Thank you for your time. 

The post NYCT Committee Meeting Testimony- Ridership Growth Post Congestion Pricing appeared first on PCAC.

Good afternoon, I’m Brian Fritsch, Associate Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, PCAC. For nearly 50 years, PCAC has served as the official voice of riders on the MTA system.

Just over a month ago, we organized a letter from a broad range of unions, transit and disability rights advocates, social and immigrant service organizations, and community and good government groups who believe City Hall can make transit affordability a reality in this year’s budget by transforming the Fair Fares program.

Our five-point plan includes expanding eligibility to at least 300% of the federal poverty level–to finally include workers making at or close to the minimum wage–fully free fares for the lowest-income New Yorkers at the current level of 150%; and adding the commuter railroads and express buses as options. The program also needs automatic enrollment, as only a dismal third of eligible New Yorkers are enrolled. 

In addition to Fair Fares, we have been ardent supporters of faster and more reliable bus service across the city. We urge you and Mayor Mamdani to work together to better fund DOT so the agency can actually meet the legal mandates of the Streets Plan and to make it easier, not harder, for DOT to build bus lanes and busways.

We also believe a Bus Rapid Transit network starting with one or two world-class routes as a proof of concept, will serve as a North star for what it could mean to deliver world class service, which our world class city – and its riders – deserve. We look forward to working with you, the Mamdani Administration and our colleagues in advocacy to make BRT in NYC a reality. That means installing protected bus lanes aligned to the center of streets, transit signal priority, left turn bans and queue jumps, and building accessible BRT stations with level boarding.

Two final key issues: First, we strongly oppose any efforts, be it from the Council or State Legislature, to dismantle or create unworkable loopholes in the MTA’s Automated Camera Enforcement program or ACE. ACE is essential as it increases bus speeds by 5% and reduces collisions by 20%. Second, we also hope the city will work with the MTA to ensure the agency has enough bus depot capacity to provide frequent and reliable service. As we work to create the excellent bus service this city deserves, depot space is a critical component that doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

The post Fair Fares + Fast Buses = Transit Success appeared first on PCAC.

Good afternoon, I’m Brian Fritsch, Associate Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, PCAC. For nearly 50 years, PCAC has served as the official voice of riders on the MTA system.

This past election, New Yorkers delivered a clear call to city government to do everything they can to fight our affordability crisis, a daunting job. But sometimes the right tool to do that work doesn’t need to be bought; it’s right in your toolbox, waiting to be used.

The Fair Fares Program is that tool, but it’s been overlooked. Currently, only an estimated 35% of the over 1 million eligible New Yorkers are enrolled in the program, and as a result, it is chronically underfunded. This means hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who could be saving up to $910 per year in transit costs are instead getting nothing at all. 

HRA needs to step up and develop a plan to reduce the hurdles low-income New Yorkers face in getting enrolled. After all, how many residents are already in the HRA Connect System, are known to be eligible based on income verification for another program, yet are not receiving Fair Fares? Too many. We believe now is the time to pursue automatic enrollment in this program, which could double enrollment and give New Yorkers a much more affordable way to get to jobs, education, appointments, and more. Use the tools you already have in your toolbox. We’d also love to see more data released on existing enrollees, including demographics, locations by council districts, and more.

Just over a month ago, we organized a letter from a broad range of unions, transit and disability rights advocates, social and immigrant service organizations, and community and good government groups who believe City Hall can make transit affordability a reality in this year’s budget by transforming the Fair Fares program.

Our five-point plan includes expanding eligibility to at least 300% of the federal poverty level—to finally include workers making at or near the minimum wage—fully free fares for the lowest-income New Yorkers at the current level of 150%; and adding commuter railroads and express buses as options. Let’s get people to work, with the tools in our bag.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

The post Fair Fares is an Essential Tool to Delivering Affordability appeared first on PCAC.

Good day, I’m Lisa Daglian, Executive Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, PCAC.
Thank you for holding this hearing today. PCAC was created by the state legislature to be the official voice of MTA riders, who are represented on our New York City Transit Riders Council and with a non-voting seat on the MTA Board – though we are working to give that strong voice a vote.
We firmly believe that our city’s buses are engines of opportunity and that the two million riders who depend on them every day deserve the fastest, smoothest trips possible. That’s why we were thrilled with the premise and promise of the Streets Plan mandate. Unfortunately, the previous Administration didn’t keep its promise to riders. We are thrilled that you will have the chance to update the Streets Plan, using the lessons learned of what could have been but fell short. The Streets Plan boldly states that the city’s streets are not just for cars: they are for all of us to use safely and can be reimagined with clarity and inclusion.
It’s not too late to get it right now, even as you look to the next Plan. Riders around the city know that more can be done to keep their buses out of traffic and improve on the woeful average of eight miles per hour they currently travel, which is the worst in the nation. Too many buses literally go slower than a chicken can run, as we found in our joint report with the NYPIRG Straphangers campaign. That is simply not OK, nor should it be a standard for our city. It is past time to invest in meaningful improvements in our bus network. The MTA is doing its part with its borough network redesigns, but DOT has fallen far short of its mandates. At least part of that has been an underinvestment in the human capital needed to make them a reality.
We urge Mayor Mamdani and the Council to work together to staff up DOT so the agency can actually meet the legal mandate created by the Streets Plan and to make it easier, not harder, for DOT to build bus lanes and busways – particularly in our city’s subway deserts and to create viable connections across transit lines.
Fordham Road is a start! Busways are better than bus lanes, which are infinitely better than nothing. A Bus Rapid Transit network would be even better, delivering world class service, which our world class city – and its riders – deserve. We look forward to working with you, the Mamdani Administration and our colleagues in advocacy to make BRT in NYC a reality. That means installing protected bus lanes aligned to the center of streets, avoiding the chronic issues that block New York’s existing curbside and offset bus lanes; continuing to implement technology innovations to speed up buses, such as transit signal priority, and other intersection safety tools such as left turn bans and queue jumps when necessary; and building accessible BRT stations with level boarding.
We urge you to work with DOT and the advocacy community – your willing partners – to help deliver transformative bus priority projects that take into account riders’ input, improve speeds by at least 20% and target pinch points where service is especially slow and heavily used.
Ensuring that everyone can afford to ride is critical, which is why we are calling for expansion of Fair Fares to 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), allowing those who make less than 150% FPL to ride buses and subways for free, and bringing automatic enrollment to our city.
We also support ensuring that if you’re not a bus, you stay out of the bus lane and the MTA’s Automated Camera Enforcement helps do just that. We support expanding ACE, not rolling it back as some have suggested.
Like you and your colleagues over the years, we have been frustrated with trying to get updates on progress to-date and what’s planned. We strongly support requiring DOT to maintain a capital tracker of its Street Plan projects with monthly updates to connect the plan to tangible projects and their status. Just trying to find how many intersections have Transit Signal Prioritization was a Google challenge, with results ranging from under 1,000 to close to 4,000. It matters and should be easy to find.
The future is bright and bus riders have a lot to look forward to. We look forward to working with you, DOT, the MTA and our colleagues in advocacy to make our city’s streets a place we all feel welcome and safe. Thank you.

The post Meet Streets Plan Mandate and Make It Work For Bus Riders and All New Yorkers-Testimony to the City Council Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure appeared first on PCAC.

Another month, another major storm – maybe you should hold these meetings during the summer? But seriously…we come not to throw snowballs, Janno, but to praise the amazing dedication and hard work of the entire team – work force, leadership, comms team, and everyone in between – for getting millions of riders where they needed to go through two significant snow events in two months. Kudos! And while not perfect, we’re glad that DOT and Sanitation focused more on bus stops this time around.

Transit and DOT are already proving the power of their partnership under Mayor Mamdani with the revived Fordham Road bus lanes. We’re also hopeful that riders who depend on Fair Fares will get a fair shake in the city budget. We share your disappointment that an increase wasn’t included in the Exec, but we know it’s just the start of the conversation. Increasing eligibility to 300% FPL, making fares free to New Yorkers at 150% FPL, automatic enrollment and bringing Fair Fares to the railroads within the city are within the city’s fiscal grasp, and we will continue to strongly advocate with you – along with CSS, Riders Alliance, and others – to make this a reality. At the state level, we’d like to see an accommodation reached on the insurance proposal so the MTA doesn’t pay the lion’s share following accidents it didn’t cause.

It’s almost too much to ask for the feds to play nicely, but it’s past time to release the Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 funds. While fiscal support is available from other channels, it’s unjust and likely illegal for the feds to withhold these critical transit funds. Riders are counting on the leaders at all levels of government to invest in the MTA. Congestion pricing is working, as evidenced by the new elevators and fare gates that are being installed.

Riders are still adapting to the new fare arrays, to some of the new fare policies on the railroads, and to Universal Train Spotting on Metro-North. We look forward to continuing to discuss ways to improve these with you. Thank you.

The post MTA Board & Committee meeting Testimony- Weathering the Storm for Riders appeared first on PCAC.

To begin, we applaud the Legislature and Governor for their unprecedented support of the MTA over the past three sessions. During this time you have 1) successfully navigated the agency’s operational fiscal cliff, ensuring it has the necessary support to continue to provide safe, reliable and fast service to millions of riders daily, 2) supported the launch of the historic Congestion Relief Program, which will provide $15 billion for finishing the 2020-24 Capital Plan, and 3) provided the needed funding to finance the $68.4 billion 2025-29 Capital Plan, a record investment that will allow the agency to finally, for the first time in its six decades of existence, begin to get ahead of the decay curve on its $1.5 trillion in public assets  ̶  in addition to launching transformative projects like Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway and the Interborough Express.

It’s now up to the agency to deliver on these unprecedented investments, and organizations like ours to work in partnership with you to hold them accountable. The MTA’s creation of the completely revamped Capital Program Dashboard is one large step in the right direction toward better accountability and transparency, and we look forward to continuing to work with the MTA on efforts to communicate with riders and taxpayers alike to ensure they are as efficient and resourceful as possible.

Making Transit More Affordable 

Affordability is the most important priority for New Yorkers today. Following the MTA’s fare increase at the beginning of the year, expanding fare discounts and options around the MTA system has never been more critical. Many transit riders struggle to pay the fare, severely limiting their ability to reach jobs, schools and anywhere transit may take them. It’s one of the reasons we were thrilled when the MTA included our long-time priorities – and yours in the fare changes: allowing seniors and disabled and Medicare riders to use their discounts at all times on the railroads and expanding family fare to age 17. We thank you for your staunch support.

We believe that even more can be done.

• PCAC strongly supports the One City, One Fare Act, S.8620/A.9395 (Comrie/Hevesi), which builds on the success of CityTicket and directs the MTA to conduct a field study of a unified city fare zones, growing intracity ridership and enhancing transit for New Yorkers in subway deserts. Specifically, the bill would:
  • Create a single, unified fare zone for all of New York City for both Metro-North and the LIRR, across all ticket types;
  • Allow riders to use their city zone LIRR and Metro-North weekly and monthly tickets to transfer freely to the subway and buses on one ticket within New York City;
  • Permit riders to also transfer between Metro-North and the LIRR in NYC on the same ticket.
    
    
• In addition to the weekly fare cap currently offered to riders of New York City Transit, a 30-Day and Single-Day Fare Cap would help some of transit’s most frequent riders, who faced a fare hike of up to 11% with the discontinuation of the 30-day unlimited MetroCard. Introducing 30-day and single-day fare caps will remedy this issue, ensuring OMNY creates even more flexible and affordable fares.

• The loss of the 10-trip ticket package on the railroads resulted in a 23% increase for some riders. A free 11th trip replaced it, but requires rides to be made in a two-week window and excludes the new day pass, making it is far less useful to riders who used to have a 60-day window to ride. We believe the railroads risk losing ridership, especially during off-peak periods, and among discretionary riders.

• Several recent railroad fare policy changes have also reduced flexibility for riders, such as tickets now expiring at 4:00 a.m. the following day, eliminating the ability to purchase in advance. This change, along with stricter activation windows, higher onboard activation fees, and more limited refund options, which increases risk when trains are delayed or canceled, has made railroad travel more stressful for riders.
  
  
• PCAC also supports a new bill, the Ride N.Y. Act, which directs the Departments of Transportation, Motor Vehicles, and the Office of General Services, in tandem with transit providers around New York State, to begin an integrated travel project, enabling contactless fare payment, simplified enrollment in reduced-fare programs for veteran, disabled, senior, and Medicare-eligible New Yorkers, and standardized transit information statewide.
  
  
• In addition to state efforts, PCAC has long advocated for the expansion of the Fair Fares program, and recently released a whitepaper discussing a new agenda for Mayor Mamdani’s administration. We believe the program should be expanded to at least 300% of the federal poverty level, to finally include workers making at or close to minimum wage, offer fully free fares for the lowest income New Yorkers at the current level of 150%, and add the commuter railroads in New York City and express buses as options. The program also needs automatic enrollment, as only a dismal third of eligible New Yorkers are enrolled.

Rider Representation and Governance

• We strongly support the Rider Representation Act, S.1148/A.1162 (Gounardes/Dinowitz), which would provide the representatives of the New York City Transit Riders Council, Long Island Rail Road Commuter Council, and Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council on the MTA Board with voting membership along with a new voting board member recommended by the Mayor’s Office of People with Disabilities in consultation with disability advocates. Currently, riders have a voice on the MTA Board — but don’t have a vote. It’s time to change that this year by ensuring riders have official voting seats on the board. Our non-voting members would be in an excellent position to propose changes to the MTA’s fares, except they can’t even make the motions to do so. Giving rider representatives a voice will also help make the MTA Board and Committee meetings more efficient — rider representatives do not count towards a quorum, often making it difficult to reach a quorum and conduct official business.
• We also strongly support the R.I.D.E.R Act, S.7679/A.8169 (Gounardes/Rosenthal), which codifies the independence of PCAC and rider councils from the MTA and broadens the slate of elected officials eligible to recommend members to the MTA’s three advisory councils. It also guarantees regional representation on such councils by providing interim service.

PCAC supports the following aspects of Governor Hochul’s Executive Budget:

• “QWest” aka SAS Phase II, westward expansion: The Second Avenue Subway has been a century in the making, and it’s finally going to bring better transit access to East Harlem, long promised since the destruction of the elevateds decades ago. We applaud Governor Hochul’s commitment to extending the Second Avenue Subway westward on 125th Street, linking seven subway lines and creating better crosstown, East Side, and Metro-North connections for Harlemites. This will truly be a transformative project for tens – if not hundreds – of thousands of riders, offering better access to jobs, education, shopping and entertainment.

• Jamaica Station Rehabilitation Project: Jamaica Station is the fourth busiest rail station in North America, and we are thrilled Governor Hochul is planning to give it the attention it deserves.  This is a project decades in the making. Our wish list for a reimagined Jamaica station includes ADA accessible elevators on the west end of the platforms, more plentiful seating, additional restrooms, new dining options and measures to shield commuters from the elements, especially during winter. Combined with the MTA’s current project to eliminate the ‘Jamaica crawl’ and funding for vertical improvements, we envision a day where riders will quickly and seamlessly move though the station no matter their destination.

• Expansion of the SCOUT Program:  Governor Hochul is again demonstrating her commitment to transit riders—and all New Yorkers – with her proposal to expand the SCOUT program. Addressing the slate of needs for people experiencing mental health crises through this transformative program has made a real difference, helping those who need it most while improving the riding experience for millions of New Yorkers every day.

• SEQR Reform: SEQR reform is a crucial complement to transit-oriented development projects around the MTA region, simultaneously combating the housing affordability and climate change crises. We applaud Governor Hochul for taking on this common-sense legislation that will cut red tape and encourage more transit ridership across the region.

Thank you for holding this hearing, inviting us to submit testimony, and continuing to prioritize the needs of MTA riders this budget season. 

The post Testimony for the Joint Legislative Hearing on Transportation from the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC) appeared first on PCAC.

Good morning, I’m Brian Fritsch, Associate Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, PCAC. 

I want to start by thanking the workers who have been out through the storm and cold weather, doing their utmost to keep operations moving. It’s been tough sledding, but riders appreciate the immense efforts. 

In addition to snow, January brought fare changes, and it’s been satisfying watching two fare incentives PCAC has long advocated for become reality: the extension of the Family Fare to 12–17-year-olds and the expansion of the half-fare discount for Senior, disabled, and Medicare-eligible riders to the AM Peak. We look forward to hearing more about how the implementation of these policies is going, as well as ongoing efforts to make riders aware of these changes. 

On the other hand, we were surprised to learn the railroad’s refund policy had also drastically changed with little notice to riders or the MTA Board, as it was not included in the fare changes materials and discussion last year. Shortening the refund window for mobile one-way tickets to a paltry two minutes — which I challenge anyone who doesn’t know the TrainTime app well to complete in that timeframe — and not allowing refunds for Day Pass tickets are some of the particularly onerous rules. Please consider making them a bit more generous. 

We’ve also heard from many riders mourning the loss of the 10-day ticket and, more broadly, the loss of flexibility they used to have to buy tickets ahead of time. These adjustments seem particularly painful for riders, and we’ll be interested to see how it impacts ridership patterns over time. Thank you.  

The post Gimmie a Redo on the New Refund Policy appeared first on PCAC.