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January 22, 2021
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TRANSCRIPT: MTA Chairman Foye Appears Live on NY1’s Mornings on 1 with Pat Kiernan |
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MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick J. Foye appeared live today on NY1’s Mornings on 1 with Pat Kiernan to discuss the postponement of fare increases and the employee COVID-19 vaccine rollout. A transcript of the interview appears below.
Pat Kiernan: The MTA board has made it official there will not be fare increases on subways and buses, at least not for the next several months. Hikes of tolls at MTA Bridges and Tunnels could be coming soon, and none of this gets away from the fact that there are big concerns about the MTA’s budget even with the federal aid that is expected. MTA Chair Pat Foye is joining me to go through some of this. Pat, good morning.
Patrick J. Foye: Morning, Pat.
Kiernan: Let's start with subway and bus fares, people were watching this so closely. What's behind that decision to leave them where they are?
Foye: I think it's a couple of things. One is we're aware that lots of our neighbors and customers are suffering as a result of the pandemic and related financial damage. Our customers are primarily at this point on subways and buses, same with commuter rails, essential workers and first responders. Many low-income workers, folks from communities of color, we're respectful of that. We're hoping that with the election of a new president, additional stimulus, acceleration of the vaccines, which frankly, federal distribution of vaccines prior to President Biden arriving had been disappointing; demand far exceeds supply. The governor is intent on getting additional supplies into New York. In the last week, we vaccinated around 1,300 of our employees but demand far exceeds supply which is why we invited Dr. Fauci to our board meeting yesterday to urge every MTA worker, and New Yorker for that matter, to get vaccinated.
Kiernan: Okay, Pat since you’re on that topic, I want to play a clip from Dr. Fauci’s statement to MTA workers and then I do want to come back to fare hikes. But here's Dr. Fauci with a message for MTA workers.
Dr. Anthony Fauci: I strongly encourage all MTA workers to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Throughout the U.S. pandemic you have kept New York City's public transit moving. That is why you are essential workers, at the front of the line to receive a coronavirus vaccine. Take advantage of it, get vaccinated. Kiernan: Pat has there been resistance among MTA workers? They're out there, they're exposed, I would think most of them were on board with this?
Foye: Well look, MTA workers are first, they're smart and savvy to begin with. Obviously, New York was the epicenter, the MTA suffered grievous losses. I invited Dr. Fauci, who was incredibly gracious and accommodating and agreed to do this on very short notice because he's the most trusted person in America and a former straphanger from Brooklyn to high school in Manhattan. As I said, I think if the supplies of vaccines were higher we would have vaccinated far more than the 1,300 colleagues that we vaccinated in the first week. MTA workers are smart, they want to get vaccinated.
Kiernan: Okay, so let's come back to, to the subway and bus fares and then the bridge and tunnel tolls. Some of what you said when you were talking about the reasons for leaving subway and bus fares where they are, would, in the view of people who are driving in their commute, apply to them as well. They've lost their jobs because of the pandemic, it's a difficult time. Why are toll hikes still under consideration when subway fare hikes are not?
Foye: Well look, one of the reasons we want to do it Pat is to improve, reduce congestion and improve air quality and frankly to move commuters from cars to subways and buses. We’re providing robust service on subways and buses, but there are some who have to drive for various reasons or choose to drive, and if they choose to drive there's a cost associated with that. They tend to be higher income people on average, more than the average subway or bus customer---and that's an average, that's not every customer. The last point I make Pat, is that revenues from our bridges and tunnels subsidizes mass transit, frankly is a significant component of the budget, of the revenues in the budget for subways and buses. So, it's that combination of factors, and if we're able to convince people to leave their cars and to move to mass transit -- and I’ll note 75% of our customers say that subway platforms and cars have never been, never been cleaner -- if we can move some of those drivers to mass transit that would be a good thing for everybody, for them and for the region.
Kiernan: Yeah, and I see it every day when I, when I'm on the
 train that they're, they're wiping the trains down at the Eighth Avenue station and getting them ready to go. Pat quick question, final here. Can you commit to a date the 24/7 subway service returns? Is there a particular parameter you're looking for? Foye: Pat, tell me when the pandemic, when the governor declares the pandemic to be over and that's the, that's the time that we’ll resume service. We're looking forward to bringing 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. service back, but right now obviously we're in a, you know, in the second wave of the pandemic and we've got to continue that disinfecting effort across the system.
Kiernan: MTA Chairman Pat Foye. Thank you, Pat.
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