Subject:

Metropolitan Transportation Authority

  • Blogs

    October 25, 2011

    We're Really Freaking Happy With the Subway, Apparently

    ​Despite our own Steven Thrasher's harrowing experience on a smoke-filled 4 train last night, the MTA believes that we are mostly happier with New York City transit than we used to be (and apparently we do, too). According to the results of their just-released 2011 Customer Satisfaction Survey ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 10, 2011

    Subway Conductor Tells You What to Do If You Fall in the Tracks (and Other Transit Real Talk)

    A recent IAmA on Reddit is fascinating, at least, if you're kind of a subway nerd like we are. Or even if you're just a commuter and not a nerd at all! A user named Fusoyaff2, who says he's been a subway conductor for New York City Transit since spring of this year, has answered some of the most pre ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 3, 2011

    In 2012, You Will Love the L Train a Little More (or Hate It Slightly Less?)

    ​According to a statement today released by State Senator Daniel Squadron, the MTA will be improving weekend service on the L train, with more frequent trains expected starting in mid 2012. Squadron had requested a review back in July of the service; the results show that the much-maligned lin ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 27, 2011

    Hurricane Irene Cost the MTA $110 Million; Fare Increases Still Planned for 2013

    ​The MTA is out $110 million, reports the New York Post, thanks to Hurricane (later, Tropical Storm) Irene. That breaks down into $50 million to fix Metro-North's damaged Port Jervis line, $10 million spent on shuttle buses that ran as the line was down, and $50 million in operating costs, inc ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 24, 2011

    Weekend Subway Service Has Gotten A Little Better, But That Won't Stop Us From Complaining

    ​One of our favorite things to do on the weekends is gripe, bitch, and generally complain as much as we possibly can about how shitty the subway service is. A lot. But new data reported in the New York Post shows the bane of our existence actually made a small step toward becoming less of a b ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 16, 2011

    MTA Introduces New Subway Map to Make You Less Angry on Weekends

    A portion of one of the new Weekender maps​Have you heard of "the Weekender"? No, it's not this. It's a new online mapping system that the MTA hopes will help make you less angry on weekends! Basically, this is the MTA's admittance to you that, yes, they mess up a lot of your plans on weekend ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 14, 2011

    Broken Subway Door Chimes: A Mini-Investigation

    A YouTube poster recently uploaded this video, remarking on the "new weird door chime sound" he heard and recorded while riding on one of the 7 Train's R62A cars. It prompted our curiosity. Was this a new, weird, but sort of pleasant, door chime sound from the MTA?

  • Blogs

    September 9, 2011

    MTA Debt Downgraded; Could It Be Bad News For Fares?

    ​Along with its large budget gaps, the MTA also has massive debt. By 2014, debt financing might take up a full 23% of its operating budget. And now Fitch, the smallest of the three ratings agencies, has downgraded that debt -- meaning the MTA might have to pay more for it, meaning you might ha ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 9, 2011

    MTA Bus Drivers Create Their Own Sexy Calendar

    via​The FDNY has long done it, so why not the MTA? A group of rather fit, if we do say so, MTA bus drivers from the Jackie Gleason Bus Depot in Brooklyn have formed a group called Men Taking Action/United Transit Employees. And now they are putting together their own calendar. Michelle, or "Mu ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 16, 2011

    MTA Weekend Follies, Again: An Investigation

    ​This should absolutely not come as a surprise, but anyone who uses the New York City subway system will experience some trying times this weekend. Do you take the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, A, C, D, E, F, G, L, N, Q, or R trains? Sorry 'bout that. For us Williamsburgers, this is par for the course. Th ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 12, 2011

    NYC Subway Payphones Don't Work Anyway

    ​Maybe we can only speak for ourselves, but it feels like modern brains and eyes fail to even register the existence of payphones, let alone their functionality. Nonetheless, the New York Public Interest Research Group's Straphangers Campaign, which advocates for transportation improvements, c ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 11, 2011

    New Yorkers Demand Use of Subway on Weekends, Now

    Not quite like Tokyo -- yet.​An article in the New York Times today alerts us to something you've probably known about, at least anecdotally, for a while. Good to have it proven, though, if only so your complaining can be official! Despite New York subways frequently having longer waits, screw ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 7, 2011

    Basically Every Subway Line Is Currently Delayed

    ​Get excited for your evening commute. As of 5:45 p.m. the Metropolitan Transit Authority's website was reporting delays on the 1, 2, 3 line, the 4, 5, 6 line, the A, C, E line, the B, D, F, M line, and the N, Q, R line. Phew! According to City Room, problems were caused by "a manhole fire, si ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 28, 2011

    Astorians Mourn Departed Bus and Subway Lines, Want to Bring Back the QM22

    ​Politicians, civic groups, and commuters gathered yesterday by the Astoria-Ditmars subway stop to mark the death-iversary of their dearly departeds: the W train and the QM22 bus line. One year ago, the MTA eliminated the W and V trains and dozens of bus lines, and reduced services throughout ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 29, 2011

    Late Night Subway Map Helps Get You Home At All Hours

    ​Waiting for a train at night is sometimes the scariest thing you'll ever have to do in New York. (Some stations are outside and cold.) So it's always good to know which trains are coming and when. Here lies one of the MTA's worst problems: nights and weekends are always so confusing! Who know ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 25, 2011

    New MTA Campaign Asks "What's New?"

    ​We had hoped the MTA would revive Poetry in Motion, a collaborative campaign between the MTA and Poetry Society of America that brought the likes of Dylan Thomas and Emily Dickinson to the New York City subway walls in the early 90s, but not all of our wishes can be granted, especially when i ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 13, 2011

    In the Middle of the Night, Subway Trains Are Garbage Trains

    ​According to the Daily News, at night the MTA is using regular old people-transporting subway trains -- not always the most pristine in the first place -- to also move garbage that's been collected from the tracks -- and not behind the car, but actually inside it, with passengers. Because, si ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 13, 2011

    MTA Backs Down in Fight Against East Village Metrocard Artist

    Some of the artist's work.​On Friday we wrote about East Village artist Victoria, or VH, McKenzie, who had been creating oil paintings on discarded Metrocards and selling them on Etsy for $48 apiece. An MTA marketing intern, part of whose job it is to seek out unauthorized use of the MTA trade ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 8, 2011

    MTA Goes After East Village Artist for Painting on Used Metrocards [Updated]

    Some of the artist's work.​The big bad wolf is hungry. Or jealous? EV Grieve today alerted us to the matter of East Village artist VH McKenzie, who has been creating oil paintings on discarded Metrocards that she then sells on Etsy for $48 apiece. The MTA found out about this, and sent her the ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 29, 2011

    Poetry in Motion May Return to NYC Subways

    ​When the G train is 45 minutes late, then stops midway through your route for 20 minutes because the train in front has just broken down, the last thing you want to do is stare at an MTA-sponsored sign that states, "Improvements don't just happen." Which is why we're all a bit happier to lear ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 24, 2011

    Subway-Themed Greeting Cards Are Cuter Than the Subway

    ​The people of New York have an odd relationship with the subway. Codependent, maybe...even a little "love-hate," as they say? While we have all sorts of ill will with regard to the MTA and what they aren't doing and how much they're charging us, we also nearly daily depend on the subway to ge ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 22, 2011

    MTA Considers Banning Food, Spaghetti Fights on Subway

    runx/Flickr​Although that video of two woman fighting over spaghetti on a crowded subway car was certainly a fun (if slightly unsettling) way to waste four minutes, the MTA is not amused.

  • Blogs

    February 25, 2011

    Dear New Yorkers: Step Away From the Subway Tracks

    Too close!​We can't take it! No more! It's gotten so we get nervous just watching you guys lean in and look for the train and, please, just step back, it's going to come when it comes and it would be better if you were alive for it. Also, dropping your wallet/phone/teddy bear/ham sandwich shou ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 1, 2011

    The MTA Might Stop at Nothing to Keep Us From Falling in the Subway Tracks

    Your subway of the future might look like this.​Today in things that may never happen: In the wake of the most recent New York City subway death, that of a 24-year-old who was killed by an L train this Sunday after taking to the tracks in a possible attempt to retrieve something, the MTA is sa ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 27, 2011

    Subway Rider Mutiny Involves Taking Over N Train for Warmth

    ​New York subway riders will not be stopped! Well, technically, they will be stopped. But when they are stopped on a D train at Coney Island because it's freakin' blizzards outside, they will COMMANDEER another train regardless of what the MTA and NYPD say! (This is good, because we really don ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 25, 2011

    MTA Still Broke; Will Raise Fares, Again, in 2013

    Adrian Fussell​Transit officials said Monday that the heavy snowfall late last year cost the MTA $14 million in lost revenues and $16 million in overtime hours spent clearing roads and subway tracks. (Meanwhile, the Bloomberg administration told the New York Times that they were still counting ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 21, 2011

    What's at the MTA's Lost and Found? $89,000 in Unclaimed Cash, to Start

    ​A few months ago, we took a trip to deep beneath the Penn Station subway stop to a place called the MTA's Lost Property Unit. The LPU -- a mass transit no man's land where New Yorkers' umbrellas, wallets, phones, and, yes, plenty of cash go to live out their days -- is like a dig site for the urb ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 19, 2011

    Another Snowstorm on the Way for NYC?; More Protests in Tunisia; Mike Bloomberg Gives State of the City

    ​Good morning! It's another gray day, but hang in there -- it should clear up by afternoon. Of course, there's also another snowstorm on the way, which could pan out as either a light brush...or a major snow event for New York by Friday. Currently snowfall potential is "highly uncertain." We'l ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 30, 2010

    MTA Taking More of Your Money Starting Today

    image via am New York​Today is the day that we've all been hating in advance for months now: The day that the dreaded MTA fare increases go into effect. That means that your 7-Day Unlimited card is now $29, your 30-Day Unlimited gets a 17% increase to $104, and your 7-Day Express Bus pass is n ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 27, 2010

    Snow Blows MTA's Timing on New Subway House Ads

    ​Late December probably wasn't the best time to roll out those new MTA house ads. Cars on this afternoon's much delayed A trains carried a new credo that made you stop and ponder a bit: "A city is only as good as its transit system," reads one sprawling card, part of the new "Improving, Non-st ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 6, 2010

    MTA Trying to Win You Over With Their Adorable Vintage Subway Cars Again

    ​Most of the year you can get away with hating the MTA outright, for the lack of service, service disruptions, ever-increasing fares, or just 'cause you can. But at holiday time they pull out the big guns, and suddenly you can't help but feeling ever so slightly warmer-and-maybe-even-fuzzy abo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 15, 2010

    F Train: Now Slightly Less F'ed Up, Officially

    ​We profess a fondness for the F-train, despite its assorted problems. It's OUR train, and thus, while we can talk shit about it, no one else can. But every train has problems, right? At least the F's not the G. And, via the latest New York City Transit report, our little F train has finally a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 11, 2010

    MTA's New Select Bus Service Is Not So Speedy, Easy to Scam

    ​Yesterday, the MTA introduced its new, reportedly speedier "Select Bus Service," in which the M15 buses use exclusive red bus lanes to go between Houston and 125th Street. The biggest change to the system is the "pay before boarding" policy the service uses -- new machines at each stop on the ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 8, 2010

    MTA Further Enhances Popularity by Cutting L Train Service this Weekend

    ​Yesterday, the MTA officially announced impending increases to fares, which will result in a $104 unlimited MetroCard come December 30, just in time for the new year! Whee. Despite the MTA claiming that this is absolutely necessary, people are none too happy about having to pay more for somet ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 7, 2010

    The $104 MetroCard Is Here; Let the Bloodletting Commence

    ​Well, it happened. We knew it would, but now it's a done deal. The MTA has voted 12 to 2 to approve fare increases for subways, buses, and the commuter rail. Insanely, this marks a 65 percent increase over the last 12 years. The highest inflation rate over the last 10 years, in comparison, ha ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 5, 2010

    Your MTA Overlords Will Charge $104 for Your Glamorous Monthly Subway Commute

    ​The MTA has been wearing us down with hints and speculation that our monthly unlimited card might increase in cost by almost $20 come January, and today MTA Chairman Jay Walder told Brian Lehrer that the MTA would, indeed, be keeping MetroCards unlimited -- instead of the proposed alternate, ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 4, 2010

    Someday You Really Will Talk on Your Cell Phone in the Subway...Probably

    ​The MTA didn't forget about that cell service on subways that they've been talking about for so long. Yes, true, even though July brought the "green light" for Transit Wireless to proceed with making the networks happen, lack of funding kind of stagnated things. But it's on...again! AT&T and ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 23, 2010

    Attack of the Subway Video Ads: Cash Cow or "Invasion"?

    ​The announcement that video ads are coming to the subway--in the form of playoff baseball highlights beamed by TBS to specially equipped cars on the 42nd Street Shuttle--was met mostly with goggling over the technology that embeds TV screens in train car walls, mixed with plaintive sighs that ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 17, 2010

    MTA Hustlers Profit From Selling Tourists' Leftover Rides

    via Brooklyn VeganAn Unrelated Method of Metrocard Recycling​Aw, shucks, friendly tourists are helping criminals make a quick buck on the subway -- so gosh-darn nice of them, eh? Fare hustlers are positioning themselves at the two MTA hubs in Queens that connect to the AirTrain to catch folks ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 11, 2010

    The MTA: Now Busting Even More of You for Tardies

    ​Well, this is awkward. Back in June, the MTA introduced the NYC Transit Delay Verification System, an Internet memo of sorts into which you enter in your subway information and time; the program will confirm whether you were legitimately late, or just faking it because you overslept after a n ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 2, 2010

    MTA Wants Your Old Grand Central Merch for the Terminal's 100th Birthday

    via Art.com​The MTA has tired of taking your money. They would like to take your possessions now. Specifically, your possessions related to Grand Central Terminal for an exhibit commemorating 100 awesome years of Grand Central-ness. (The birthday goes down on February 1, 2013, but they're plan ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 19, 2010

    The $100 Not-Unlimited Metrocard is Coming, and There's Nothing You Can Do to Stop It

    ​This morning, it was widely reported that after eliminating some subway lines and some bus lines and, oh yeah, trying to can a bunch of subway booth workers, the MTA is now considering raising fares yet again. How?

  • Blogs

    July 8, 2010

    Who's Worse, Con Ed or the MTA?

    ​Yesterday, a tipster sent us a photo from the Q/B elevator platform at Brooklyn's Atlantic/Pacific subway station, where, due to an electrical outage, it "sucks to be wheelchair-bound." He says, "I think the MTA is taking advantage, however, to pass the blame to Con Ed. Shit is always broken ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 6, 2010

    The Post Plays Bad Cop, Busting MTA Employees Playing Hooky

    original photo via The New York Post​A Post photographer busted two MTA employees for snoozing on the job, and as always, the paper couldn't resist an especially great lead sentence zinger, "All aboard the Zzzzzz train!" with the accompanying photo caption "Noddy, noddy." But that's not to t ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 30, 2010

    Four Ads We Find More Offensive Than the Pulled Georgi Vodka Bikini Ads

    Image via Daily News​The MTA has pulled ads featuring models' bikinied bottoms -- with the Georgi Vodka logo on them -- from some Brooklyn buses after members of the Hasidic community complained. Georgi Vodka producer Martin Silver was outraged, hiring Georgi bikini-clad models to protest in h ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 25, 2010

    The MTA Could Really Use a Copy Editor

    photo by Angela Riechers​When it comes to spelling, the MTA sometimes reminds us of what it was like to be an unfocused third grader -- same with balancing a budget, but that's another story, and it's not as funny. We showed you the FML sign at 14th Street a couple weeks ago, and a year before ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 22, 2010

    The MTA Can't Do Much Right Lately: Two Deployed Bus Drivers Laid Off While at War

    ​Reading about the MTA's decisions is often like swallowing a cactus, especially when news of truly unfortunate cutbacks comes in quick succession with news of huge spending. Earlier this morning, we reported that the MTA is shelling out big bucks for tenants temporarily displaced by Second Av ... More >>

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