Going through critical backlash over the upcoming fare hike in 2026, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) President Demetrius Crichlow tried to handle commuter considerations instantly final week.
Crichlow is the primary Black man to carry the president’s place within the MTA’s historical past. A lifelong New Yorker, he’s the third era of males in his household to work in transit. He began his profession in 1997 as an assistant sign maintainer for the Lengthy Island Railroad (LIRR).
The Amsterdam Information caught up with Crichlow and his management crew on the forty second Road station, just under the bustling vacationer junction that’s Occasions Sq., at their typical Transit Speak occasion. He spoke with folks about phasing out MetroCards, fare hikes, main infrastructure enhancements, subway crime, and different points. Some listeners had been amiable. Others weren’t satisfied the prepare was definitely worth the value of admission.
Right here’s what he needed to say to the AmNews in a brief interview. (Questions and solutions have been shortened or edited for house and readability.)
AmNews: Why are you right here at this time?
Crichlow: The explanation why we’re right here is that one or two instances a month, my group — my govt management group — goes out and hears the considerations of shoppers. [We] speak to prospects instantly, and we interact with them. What I discovered is most individuals need to have the ability to have a face that they’ll speak to, and have somebody who’s really part of the group — somebody who has the expertise to have the ability to say, I had this subject earlier than, I modified this, I’m this. Having somebody like the top of buses to speak to you about points that we have now with bus service or the top of subways to speak about points that you’ve got with subway service is the best way that we actually converse to our prospects. We do that both a few times a month, and we’ve gotten a very good response.
AmNews: With the MetroCard being phased out, lots of people who don’t have smartphones, financial institution playing cards, or the One Metro New York (OMNY) card may need a tough time paying for the subway or bus. How are you ensuring these folks aren’t left behind?
Crichlow: OMNY is, to me, the way forward for our system by way of truthful assortment. The fact is the token was a method of the previous. The MetroCard is now going to be a method of the previous. With the ability to faucet right into a system and go is the environment friendly method of with the ability to get via the system. We’ve achieved various outreach occasions to have the ability to speak instantly with prospects. We now have achieved a pair issues instantly with prospects. The very first thing we did was to open up 15 customer support facilities. We workers them with station brokers and prepare them, particularly the best way to cope with prospects when prospects have questions on OMNY.
In anticipation of OMNY rolling out absolutely [next year], we’re going to extend that to 30 customer support facilities out across the system the place prospects can go and have any of their questions answered, so that you don’t must have trendy expertise, a telephone to have the ability to ask questions, as a result of we’re bringing folks with the solutions to you in your neighborhoods, your cities, to have the ability to tackle the considerations that you’ve got. You don’t must have a checking account to make use of OMNY. You should purchase an OMNY card at a machine, similar to you buy your MetroCard. There are such a lot of benefits to OMNY that we’re providing. As soon as prospects get snug with utilizing it, I feel it’ll be nice.
AmNews: How do you cope with people who find themselves actually upset concerning the MTA’s value enhance?
Crichlow: I’ve been right here 28 years, and I don’t know one occasion the place a person was completely satisfied a couple of fare enhance. I can bear in mind after I went to the gasoline station and gasoline was 99 cents, and I used to be like, Oh, man, I hope it doesn’t break a greenback. Nobody likes to have issues go up in value. The one factor I can say is we’re doing our greatest to ensure that for the $3 that it takes to have the ability to experience our system, we give them service that prospects deserve. It’s an growing old system. It requires a variety of work to have the ability to get there.
We’ve been offering customer support at ranges that we’ve by no means offered earlier than. We used to have frequent complaints, just like the vehicles usually are not clear. The variety of complaints in opposition to issues like automotive cleansing and issues like which have decreased drastically as a result of we’ve modified the best way we clear our vehicles, the place they get clear, how many individuals we have now at terminals cleansing — actually taking a critical have a look at how we enhance service for purchasers. We need to ensure that $3 you spend is price each penny of it.
AmNews: What concerning the standing of two infrastructure tasks — the Second Avenue subway up in Harlem, and in Brooklyn, the Interborough Expressway? Simply curious in case you have any details about that.
Crichlow: They’ve been tasks which have been decided to be nice for the neighborhood, or for lots of profit, not only for now, however for the long run. I feel we’ve achieved a variety of analysis about what’s finest for folks, what folks need to see. I’m hoping that they proceed to progress as they’ve been scheduled.
AmNews: Do you suppose there shall be points with funding?
Crichlow: I received’t get into the funding. I feel folks ought to talk about what their wants are for transportation. In the end, we’ve decided based mostly upon what ridership seems to be like and what housing seems to be like. We consider that it’s wanted for the surroundings and for the folks.
AmNews: Would you take into account implementing a citywide free bus service, which was proposed by mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani?
Crichlow: I received’t get into the politics of the plan. It’s a race that’s regularly working … I do suppose that there are alternatives to ensure that those that really want the assistance, those that are in our lower-income areas who want that service, can reap the benefits of alternatives like Truthful Fares. I feel there are alternatives to ensure that the service is nice for individuals who want it.
AmNews: The girl who walked away [from the Transit Talk event] did make an excellent level about a number of the subway’s methods being unbearably sizzling. What do you propose to do about that?
Crichlow: I feel the fact is almost all of our subway system, which is the bottom half, will not be air conditioned, however 99% of our fleet is. While you get within the subway, the objective is to have nice sufficient service that as quickly as you hit the platform, one thing’s coming in your method you can get on and you will get away from the warmth. That’s what my dedication is to you: Don’t stand within the station, come experience my prepare.
AmNews: About subway security — individuals are fairly frightened about crime. What’s the true story, and what are you doing to maintain riders protected?
Crichlow: [We’re doing] a few issues. I feel the partnership with the NYPD has been superb. [NYPD Transit] Chief [Joseph] Gulotta actually cares concerning the system and ways in which we will enhance it. He’s been actually nice about sending sources that we’d like. He’s launched having cops on the in a single day tour to have the ability to tackle a few of our extra problematic areas and problematic instances. They’ve been actually good at offering help, not simply on the turnstile, however on platforms, using on trains. I feel that partnership is vital to with the ability to have a protected system.
One of many issues we did was set up limitations on the platform. The dedication is to do 100 by the top of the 12 months. We’ve heard from prospects that they really feel much more protected within the system after they have a barrier they’ll stand on. It form of protects them from the top of the platform.
We’ve modified the lighting at totally different stations. Folks let you know proper out, they really feel extra snug when the system has extra gentle. We began altering the lighting on all of our older vehicles, so that folks get a way of safety.
We now have cameras in each prepare automotive. When one thing occurs, we ensure that it’s on cameras and we give that data to officers to allow them to examine it instantly. All of our stations — each single one in all our stations has cameras.
I feel there are a selection of various efforts which are ongoing to ensure that prospects really feel protected.
