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As political crises engulf NYC, MTA has a rare moment of popularity

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Clayton Guse

Published Oct 11, 2024

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MTA chair Janno Lieber

 

Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin

By

Clayton Guse

Published Oct 11, 2024

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This column originally appeared in On The Way, a weekly newsletter covering everything you need to know about NYC-area transportation.

Sign up to get the full version, which includes answers to reader questions, trivia, service changes and more, in your inbox every Thursday.

For the last 56 years, the MTA has served as New Yorkers’ punching bag. Every indignity of the daily commute – from packed cars with no air conditioning to trains that make New Yorkers late to work – was blamed on the sprawling agency, which has a $19 billion annual budget and a dreadful reputation for financial mismanagement.

But a notable shift has occurred since Gov. Kathy Hochul paused congestion pricing in June. Now, transit woes are her fault and the MTA is enjoying a sudden outpouring of public support. In the months since Hochul paused congestion pricing, hundreds of angry commuters who usually dominate MTA board meetings are now testifying about their support for the agency – and their scorn for the governor.

The shift in opinion comes as crises have engulfed much of New York’s political class. Mayor Eric Adams is facing federal bribery charges and Hochul is wading through historically dismal polling numbers.

MTA Chair Janno Lieber is at the center of the agency’s rising popularity. He opted to stay in his position after Hochul’s congestion pricing pause blew a $15 billion hole in the MTA’s current five-year construction plan, and has since positioned himself as an executive trying to prevent the collapse of the city’s subways, buses and commuter railroads.

“Janno is a genius,” said Mitchell Moss, an urban policy professor at NYU who has informally advised high-ranking city government leaders for decades. “He’s more resilient than any leader we have in the state of New York.”

In his first public remarks after Hochul’s pause, Lieber noted the public’s shift in attitude toward the MTA.

“I want to say to the folks who are frustrated that this reversal took place, I can relate,” he said. “I am incredibly moved by how New Yorkers, transit advocates, but regular New Yorkers as well have turned out in full force and raised their voices to show support for transit and for the MTA.

“Loving the MTA is not a 365 [days per year] job for New Yorkers, but in the last week we have felt it,” he said.

This is not the MTA’s first crisis during Lieber’s tenure. When transit ridership plummeted and stripped away billions in fares during the height of the pandemic in 2020, Lieber, who was head of the MTA’s construction projects at the time, was central to an effort that led Congress to sign off on $14 billion in federal relief for the MTA.

His ascendancy to the top job would come during another period of political turmoil in New York. In July 2021, just two weeks before he would resign amid sexual harassment allegations, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed Lieber as the agency’s acting chair.

When Hochul took over for Cuomo, there was no guarantee she would retain Lieber and nominate him as permanent MTA chair. But just five months into her tenure, she did just that.

“When it comes to New York City, Janno is the one place where the governor can go to for good news,” Moss said.

Lieber still faces his share of criticism, most notably from Transport Workers Union International President John Samuelsen, whose labor group represents roughly half of the MTA’s workforce. After Hochul paused congestion pricing in June, Samuelsen criticized Lieber for not pairing the launch of the tolls with an increase in transit service. He said at the time that Hochul “let Janno Lieber lead her around like a stooge” before she halted the program.

Now, Lieber faces another challenge: persuading state legislators – and the public – to find a way to finance at least $33 billion in funding for the MTA’s next capital plan. Transit officials say the money is necessary to keep the subways running. That doesn’t include the cash the MTA will need to fill the hole left by congestion pricing if Hochul makes her pause of the program permanent.

Lawmakers in Albany will almost certainly have to pass dedicated new revenues for the MTA — in other words, new taxes — when the Legislature returns to session in January.

Lieber has publicly stated he remains “agnostic” to how the MTA’s programs are funded. But behind the scenes, much like every person who’s held the job before him, he’s driving the bus on the political push to fund the system.

Have a question about subway cars (or literally anything else NYC-transit related)? Use this form to submit yours and we may answer it in a future newsletter! But note that Curious Commuter questions are exclusive for On The Way newsletter subscribers. Sign up for free here.

Question from Felicia in the Bronx

Why and when have passengers been allowed to board buses with open and full shopping carts? And open baby carriages, dogs without carriers, etc...

Answer

Although the stroller issue is a fraught one, the MTA started a pilot program to allow them on buses in 2022. And while many people think strollers should be folded and that children should ride on their parents’ laps, anyone with a sleeping baby will tell you otherwise. The MTA found that the pilot was successful enough and expanded it to 1,000 buses. Meanwhile, shopping carts are prohibited and considered a safety hazard, but are allowed at the bus operator’s discretion if they’re folded. And when it comes to dogs, the same rules that apply on the subways also apply on buses.

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On The Way

Clayton Guse

Clayton is the editor of the Transit and Infrastructure desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected].

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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