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MTA Defends Changes To Rockaway Shuttle Bus Service
By
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Published Apr 19, 2013
Modified Apr 19, 2013
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By
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Published Apr 19, 2013
Modified Apr 19, 2013
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The MTA plans to change service on the Rockaway shuttle bus this Monday by reducing the number of runs each weekday from 95 to 74, while promising to run buses more frequently during peak hours. The shuttle buses, which run from the Rockaways to Howard Beach, have been replacing the A train over Jamaica Bay while the MTA works to restore the bridge that was heavily damaged during Hurricane Sandy.
The cuts have concerned both citizens and officials of the peninsula, who rely on the buses to connect to the rest of New York City.
“Talk about a Tale of Two Cities! These aren’t just cuts—they are cuts to the transit lifeline for thousands of low-income people still suffering from Sandy,” Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said during a press conference Friday in Far Rockaway.
But MTA officials insist that these schedule changes are actually meant to improve service, and not further inconvenience Rockaway commuters. "We are actually improving service for peak period customers (et al the majority of customers using the shuttle) by shifting additional runs from off peak periods," MTA Spokesman Kevin Ortiz told Gothamist. "There is no need to operate the same level of service during off peak periods because ridership is lighter and buses complete their trips quicker because of less traffic. For off peak customers, this equates to waiting an extra one minute for a bus."
But the TWU and Public Advocate de Blasio don't want to let the MTA cut any service before A train service is restored to the Rockaways, and doesn't believe the MTA needs to. Referring to the MTA's new "cannonball" service, de Blasio said, "The MTA can’t throw the Rockaways under the bus. If it can expand service for Manhattanites weekending in the Hamptons, then it can afford to do right by hard-hit families in the Rockaways.”
The MTA believes that even though there will be a reduction in the total number bus runs, it doesn't mean cuts to service overall. Ortiz explained that because the bus was instituted on an emergency basis, the MTA originally provided more service than might have been necessary. "These are adjustments that get us away from operating the same level of service 24/7. We are increasing service in the peak direction during morning and evening rush and reducing mid-day and night service," Ortiz told us. "Most customers use the shuttle during the peak periods, so we’re providing more service, not less to the vast majority of customers."
Public Advocate de Blasio's office has released this video protesting the cuts, which will take effect this Monday.
Tagged
hurricane sandy
MTA
rockaways
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Max Rivlin-Nadler
Max Rivlin-Nadler has been a contributor to Gothamist since 2013. He has also reported for the New York Times, NPR, and The Intercept. His years-long investigation into New York City's arcane civil forfeiture laws led to a series of reforms which altered a practice that had been taking millions from poor communities for decades. Recently, he brought back a surfing habit from a few years on the west coast, and would love to see you all out in the Rockaways.
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