» NYC Public Transportation

Hailing a NYC Taxi
November 3, 2011

NYC Taxi MedallionYou see a NYC taxi with its rooftop lights on, try to hail it, and it flies right past you. Yet a second taxi with the exact same lighting situation picks you up. WHY?

You aren’t alone in being confused.  According to the NYC TLC (Taxi & Limousine Commission), NYC yellow cabs have 2 lights on the rooftop:

Medallion Number — this is in the center. If it’s ON, then the taxi is available most of the time.

Off-Duty Lights — there are two of these, with one on either side of the Medallion Number.

There are four possible combinations of these two sets of lights, and it’s confusing. Read more…

Filed under: NYC Public Transportation,Taxis — Tags: , , , — mtohn @ 3:38 pm
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MTA Customer Satisfaction Survey 2011
October 27, 2011

Are you happier riding the NYC subways and NYC buses than you were last year? That’s what the annual MTA Customer Satisfaction Survey sets out to determine. Based on surveys from June 2011, customer satisfaction with NYC subways and NYC buses service increased over last year.

How did the Subways Do?

  • 84% of subway customers reported being satisfied with the overall comfort and convenience of using the subway, up six percentage points from last year. Satisfaction with temperatures onboard trains increased five percentage points to 84%.
  • Countdown clocks appear to be having a positive impact on the overall customer experience. Customers using stations with countdown clocks rated 54 attributes more highly than customers at stations without the clocks. 96% of customers reported being satisfied with the clocks themselves.
  • Customer satisfaction with information about planned service changes increased to 76% this year from 69% a year ago.
  • Ratings for six of the eight major categories increased significantly: comfort and convenience, safety and security, service reliability, service frequency, cleanliness of subway cars, and information and communications aboard trains.

And What about the Buses? Read more…

Filed under: Buses,NYC Public Transportation,Subways — Tags: , , — mtohn @ 10:03 am
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New NYC MTA Chairman

Jay Walder signed a 6 year contract to be the Chairman of NYC’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) but resigned after just two years to exponentially increase his salary and run an international transportation and development corporation in Hong Kong. Jay Walder had a tough two years dealing with the Second Avenue Subway, more than one fare and toll hike, the 60 MTA unions (yes, 60!), lower revenue due to people losing jobs, and interest payments on debt from the MTA’s capital plan.

The new MTA Chairman is Joseph Lhota. Who is Lhota?

  • Lohta is a former investment banker who specialized in public finance,
  • He worked for former Mayor Rudy Guiliani’s as Budget Director and and served as Deputy Mayor of Operations looking after NYC’s Department of Transportation from 1998 to 2001, Read more…
Filed under: Buses,NYC Public Transportation,Subways — Tags: , , , — mtohn @ 7:06 am
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