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FIX THE MTA

Reform the MTA for faster, more reliable trains and bus service

 The decline of the MTA did not happen overnight and has been exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For more than 30 years, funding for the system (including funding for capital projects) has been cut at the state and city level. Ridership is returning to normal, while maintenance spending has declined, directly impacting the MTA’s on-time performance and creating a legacy of lateness. The Authority is now almost completely reliant on fares, tolls, and revenue from taxes and fees earmarked for transit — while existing debt obligations balloon.

• Working families in our community rely on public transportation to get to work, to get to school, to get around our city. The never-ending delays on trains and buses are costing us our livelihood. Short and long term solutions are needed in order to provide New Yorkers with the quality of service they deserve and have paid for over the decades:

• The MTA must work to immediately determine the needs of the bus and train system to ensure they can begin functioning safely after the full re-opening of our state, concentrating on any repairs and upgrades that must be made.

• The MTA, as it exists, must be broken up into several agencies capable of managing smaller systems. Control over the City’s transit system (train and buses) must be handed over to New York City.

• The existing debt must be restructured to facilitate free cash flow and allow for spending on repairs.