Ahead of the City Council hearing Aug. 8, elected officials plan to ride the rails to hear directly from subway commuters.
After months of delays, derailments, power outages, track fires and more, officials and advocates will take to the tunnels to get feedback, suggestions and concerns from riders, while getting a full picture of the system.
Standing outside the City Hall R Train Station, the coalition announced the 24-hour Riders Respond Transit Tour. The tour will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, and Friday, Aug. 4, touching all five boroughs. Elected officials, advocates and volunteers will travel from station to station to document feedback about riders’ commutes, assess the state of the system’s infrastructure and gain a feel for each line in the city. The results of the tour will be shared at the NYC Council Transportation Committee Hearing on the NYC Subway System.
The ride is being organized by NYC Council Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez, in conjunction with NYS Assembly Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Chair Jeffrey Dinowitz, who each chair committees with oversight over the city subway system.
Supporters of the ride include Public Advocate Letitia James, Comptroller Scott Stringer, U.S. Congressman Adriano Espaillat, Brooklyn and Manhattan Borough presidents Gale Brewer and Eric Adams, Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa, State Sen. Brad Hoylman, Council Member Carlos Menchaca, Riders Alliance, Straphangers Campaign, TWU Local 100 and others.