MTA, in dire need of funds, hopes Biden administration will provide relief

The MTA, struggling with dwindling ridership and massive debt, is hopeful that it will finally receive some relief now that President Joe Biden is in office.

News 12 Staff

Jan 22, 2021, 12:58 AM

Updated 1,350 days ago

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The MTA, struggling with dwindling ridership and massive debt, is hopeful that it will finally receive some relief now that President Joe Biden is in office.
"We're grateful that President Biden has already outlined a proposal to address these needs," said Patrick Foye, the chairman and CEO of the MTA.
Patrick Warren, the MTA’s chief safety officer, listed the ways the agency has kept people safe during the pandemic during their board meeting on Thursday.
"We have provided over 21 million masks to our employees and customers, 16 million pairs of gloves, 130,000 gallons of hand sanitizer,” Foye continued. “We continue our daily cleaning and disinfecting of stations, trains, buses, paratransit vehicles and employee workspaces."
Riders told News 12 Thursday that they feel safe from COVID-19 while onboard the subway, but have other concerns – mostly crime-related.
One of the latest incidents happened at the Franklin Avenue station where a man attacked two people on Jan. 10. The NYPD new Transit Chief Kathleen O'Reilly says crime numbers are actually down.
“We are still battling the impression that crime is out of control in the subway, and this is not the case,” she said. “These few vicious incidents don’t represent the majority of the subway system.”
Despite the debt it faces, the MTA board decided Thursday to temporarily postpone a vote on proposed fare adjustments geared toward making them more revenue.
MTA Board meeting, Jan. 21