Lhota to MTA: We Are Neither Efficient Nor Effective - TransitCenter
Governance
July 11, 2017
Lhota to MTA: We Are Neither Efficient Nor Effective

TransitCenter has obtained a copy of a memo circulated last week to MTA staff by the agency’s new chairman, Joe Lhota. The memo acknowledges that the agency faces a crisis and does not currently deserve the public’s trust.

In the memo, Lhota affirms news reports that he will conduct a “top to bottom” audit of the agency’s structure in the next 30 days. Lhota would do well to borrow liberally from the 10 point plan for organizational change we’ve laid out, as well as recognize that there are no silver bullets.

What appears to be new information is that in 60 days, Lhota wants the MTA to debut a customer-facing dashboard that will enable New Yorkers to see how the agency is performing and hold it accountable. Hopefully the dashboard will include information on key projects to improve subway service, such as ongoing and pending signal projects, subway car procurement as well as elevator outages. The dashboard should rely on the kind of legible, rider-focused performance metrics we’ve championed, such as excess journey time. Additionally, the dashboard will be monumentally incomplete if it omits performance of city buses.

Lhota’s memo is here.

 

Never miss a post! Sign up for our newsletter, the Dispatch:

* indicates required
More Like This Post:

October 26, 2023
Image for: On the Brink: Will WMATA’s Progress Be Erased by 2024? On the Brink: Will WMATA’s Progress Be Erased by 2024?

The experience of being a WMATA rider has substantially improved over the last 18 months, thanks to changes the agency has made like adding off-peak service and simplifying fares. Things are about to get even better with the launch of all-door boarding later this fall, overnight bus service on some lines starting in December, and an ambitious plan to redesign the Metrobus network. But all of this could go away by July 1, 2024. 

Read More
July 17, 2023
A group of Riders Alliance member advocates gather outside of the Barclays Center launching the campaign for #6minuteservice. Built to Win: Riders Alliance Campaign Secures Funding for More Frequent Subway Service

Thanks to Riders' Alliance successful #6MinuteService campaign, New York City subway riders will enjoy more frequent service on nights and weekends, starting this summer. In this post, we chronicle the group's winning strategies and tactics.

Read More