Bus modernisation essential for next-gen New York mobility

When it comes to describing New Yorkers’ feelings for public transport, ‘love-hate relationship’ is an understatement of enormous proportions. Millions depend on Metro Transit Authority (MTA) services to get around, with the relative proportion of users high for the States: whilst 85% of the nation’s workers drive to their jobs, around four-fifths of rush hour commuters in NYC use the subways, light rail or buses. And yet there is little doubt that the system is facing huge difficulties: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a ‘state of emergency’ in 2017. Fury around the subway has been particularly pronounced: on-time rates for trains hover at the 65% mark, the lowest since the 1970s. Dated infrastructure means services are often late, and over-crowded, whilst falling rider numbers mean less revenue in fares, and thus less money for modernisation.