MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick J. Foye appeared on WCBS 880 with Michael Wallace to discuss NYC Transit’s plan for subways and buses to return to full service next week as the city enters Phase 1 reopening.   

A transcript of the interview appears below. 

Michael Wallace: The MTA plans to return to full service next Monday when the city starts reopening. MTA Chairman and CEO Pat Foye is on our Newsline. So how is this going to work? 

Pat Foye: We are requesting and we've had a great response from the New York City business community, we're requesting that employers consider staggering shifts and staggering days of business, at least in the beginning phases of the lifting of New York UNPAUSE to allow for remote work. We're going to be applying floor markings and decals where possible to assist with social distancing at stations, we’ll be supplying hand sanitizer where possible to customers across the system and we're going to be deploying platform controllers, MTA Police and additional station personnel. I ought to say that the most important thing that our customers can do is masks, masks, masks. Our employees are at 100% level wearing masks, the compliance by customers has been not quite that good but very high, but if customers on subways and buses and Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North for that reason wear masks, they will cut significantly the risk of infection to other passengers, to family and friends. The importance of that can't be emphasized enough, and Governor Cuomo has made it a law that on public transit, everybody wears a mask. 

Wallace: MTA Chairman and CEO Pat Foye joining us here on WCBS. So you mentioned you want to keep it to essential workers during Phase 1, but there are the estimates that 400,000 New Yorkers will be returning to work on Monday. So is there a fear that some of those non-essential workers will be getting into the system and perhaps clogging things up? 

Foye: Well, look, I think New Yorkers have responded appropriately and heroically in being able to stop the spread of the virus at the flat curve. I think that most New Yorkers have heeded the Governor's advice and the MTA’s directive, that service on subways and buses be limited to essential workers and first responders, and we're counting on New Yorkers to continue to do that, Michael. 

Wallace: Let me ask you about the masks as well, because you know there are going to be some people who are either going to forget them or refuse to wear them. Will masks be enforced in any way? 

Foye: Well look, the NYPD has got primary responsibility for policing the subways. No one is going to be dragged off, no one is going to be arrested. But the NYPD and the MTA Police will be noting that, obviously a staff provided by the city and the MTA will be providing masks, especially in the early days of Phase 1 to those who don't have them. But it's really incumbent upon all New Yorkers to get a mask to wear it as much as you can, but certainly 100% of the time on subways and buses. 

Wallace: And how about the overnight shutdown for cleaning, that will continue? 

Foye: That will continue as long as the pandemic continues. That has played a really important role in the MTA being able to disinfect every one of our cars every night. It's also allowed the NYPD and the city Department of Homeless Services to provide medical and mental health, and shelter to the unsheltered. I think that program, the nighttime closing, has been a success and really flawlessly executed by Sarah Feinberg and her team. 

Wallace: Alright Pat, good updates. Thank you and good luck with the return to full service on Monday. 

Foye: Thank you Michael.