In our very first Customer Commitment report, I’m pretty proud to say we met nearly every one of our commitments in Q3 and surpassed our goals for several projects that were designed to bring real, tangible improvements.
Read more about what we’re doing to give you a world-class transit system below and let us know what you'd like to see next time: #FastForwardNYC, @NYCTSubway, @NYCTBus.
Onwards,
Sarah Meyer
Chief Customer Officer, New York City Transit
What we promised and delivered on in Q3 2018: July – September
Subway
✔️ Repair switches, including historically problematic equipment at Times Sq-42 St and 14 St-Union Sq, to improve reliability.
- We made repairs at 25 of our most problematic switches, including Times Sq-42 St and 14 St-Union Sq. We are continuing to work on these critical, complex pieces of equipment so that we can minimize incidents that cause delays.
✔️ Complete structural repairs and restore service at 163 St C and 110 St B, C stations and the northbound platforms at the 18 Avenue, Avenue I, Bay Pkwy, Avenue N, Avenue P, Kings Hwy, and Avenue U stations on the F line.
❌ Use new deep cleaning process to address 15 stations in critical need of attention, with more stations to follow. They are:
- We were able to clean 12 stations before Oct 1, and cleaned the remaining three earlier this month. Stations cleaned in Q3 include:
- Wall St (2,3 )
- Canal Street (J, Z)
- Chambers Street (A, C)
- Lexington Avenue/ 53 St (E)
- Jay St-MetroTech (A, C, F)
- 138 St-Grand Concourse (4, 5)
- Borough Hall (4, 5)
- W 4 St-Washington Sq (A, B, C, D, E, F, M)
- Canal St (6)
- 59 St-Columbus Circle (A, B, C, D, 1)
- Forest Hills-71 Av (E, F, M, R)
- 34 St-Herald Sq (B, D, F, M, N, Q, R, W)
- 42 St-Bryant Park (B, D, F, M)
- 68 St-Hunter College (6)
- Stations cleaned earlier in October include:
- 34 St-Herald Sq (B, D, F, M, N, Q, R, W)
- W 4 St-Washington Sq (A, B, C, D, E, F, M)
- 59 St (4, 5, 6, N, R, W)
✔️ Hire Group Station Managers to serve as single points of contact and maintain accountability for all aspects of specific subway stations, from cleanliness to customer service. Meet your group station managers.
✔️ Install additional four miles of continuous welded rail for a more reliable, quieter, and smoother ride.
- Installed 4.95 miles!
✔️ Deploy the first of our new high-power vacuum trains to help prevent track fires and clogged drains system-wide.
Bus
✔️ Roll out the redesigned Staten Island express bus network to provide faster, more reliable service and increased overnight and weekend service.
- We also gathered customer feedback and evaluated ridership data to make rapid service modifications, providing a new level of nimbleness and responsiveness to customers.
✔️ Begin the comprehensive bus network redesign process in the Bronx.
✔️ Work with NYPD to conduct targeted bus lane enforcement at 11 traffic hotspots across all five boroughs.
- NYPD has issued 70% more bus lane violations through September of 2018 compared to 2017.
✔️ Increase off-peak frequency on the Q6, Q22, and Q69 routes.
- Also increased service on the B17 and B65
✔️ Optimize the Q22 route to increase trip speed.
✔️ Test a new sliding door design to help you board and exit the bus faster.
- Testing has begun, and we will begin evaluating data before the end of the year.
✔️ Increase capacity on the Bx6-SBS by converting the full fleet to articulated buses.
Accessibility
❌ Advance accessibility throughout the subway system: Begin elevator installation at five stations; finish design for three stations; and finish accessibility study for 32 stations, bringing the total number of stations studied to 87.
- We made a mistake in our Q3 commitment. The plan was to finish elevator design for one station, which we did. We also broke ground on elevators at six stations — one more than initially planned — and completed accessibility studies of 48 stations, bringing the total number of stations studied to 103. Here’s where we broke ground on six new elevators:
- 57 St-7 Av (N, Q, R, W)
- 86 St (4, 5, 6)
- Bedford Av (L)
- Bedford Pk Blvd (B, D)
- Greenpoint Av (G)
- Gun Hill Rd (5)
❌ Publish an accessibility guide for the bus and subway system for use by customers and employees.
- We received great feedback from the advocacy community and decided to prioritize incorporating their input over meeting our deadline. We expect to publish the final guide before the end of October.
✔️ Host testing sessions of the new MY AAR app with hundreds of customers.
✔️ Install signage with alternate routes in case of elevator outages at ten of our busiest stations, including Times Sq and Grand Central, with instructions at every accessible elevator to follow.
✔️ Finish the pilot of a first-of-its-kind bus with a low entry vestibule and an automated ramp, making it easier for customers who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices to board.
Customer Service
✔️ Install PA systems at 13 stations that don’t currently have them.
- 30th Avenue/Grand Ave (N, W)
- 36th Avenue/Washington Ave (N, W)
- Fort Hamilton Pkwy (D)
- 50th Street (D)
- 55th Street (D)
- 71st Street (D)
- 79th Street (D)
- 18th Avenue (D)
- 20th Avenue (D)
- 25th Avenue (D)
- Van Siclen Avenue (C)
- 85 St-Forest Parkway (J)
- WTC Cortlandt (1)
✔️ Shorten the timeline to replace Reduced Fare MetroCards from four weeks to two weeks.
✔️ Equip 150 buses with customer information screens on board.
- We installed screens that indicate the next stop and show other service information on 220 buses in Q3
✔️ On track to install 150 next bus arrival time signs at high traffic bus stops by the end of the year, implemented by our partners at the New York City Department of Transportation.
✔️ Overhaul public restrooms at 86 St on the 4, 5, 6 lines and 42 St-Bryant Park.
✔️ Reduce call center waiting times by 25 percent.