Stringer: Make train skeds reflect COVID changes

The pandemic reshaped commuting patterns in New York, but the MTA has done little to adapt, according to a report Sunday from city Comptroller Scott Stringer.

Weekday subway ridership remains down by nearly 50% from before the pandemic as remote work upended the city’s traditional rush hours. A higher percentage of riders now commute during nights, weekends and off-peak periods — yet the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s service schedules have remained largely unchanged.

“The data is clear: the new rush hour is around the clock — and we need to reform our outdated transit system to meet people when and where they are in a postpandemic economy,” Stringer said in a statement.

“If we want to reduce congestion and encourage people return to public transit, we need to invest in changes that make public transit an accessible and convenient option for every commuter at every time of day,” he said.

Stringer wants the MTA to run subway trains no more than six minutes apart from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. He wants the same for the city’s 100 busiest bus routes.

Subway schedules allow for headways as long as 10 minutes on weekdays and 12 minutes on weekends.

The six-minute pitch was a part of Stringer’s failed bid for mayor — and Sunday’s report serves up several other proposals from his campaign that have been rebranded as “recommendations.”

The report also urges redistributing revenue from the state’s gas tax away from road construction and toward mass transit. In addition, the comptroller wants the city to build 35 miles of new dedicated bus lanes each year, five more than the city will be required to install annually under a City Council law passed in 2019.

MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said the agency continues “to run more than 90% of subway and bus service for roughly 55% of pre-pandemic customers,” but declined to say how transit officials have taken into account new ridership trends in subway schedules.

“We recognize the critical role the MTA plays in recovery of the region’s economy and have announced exploration of new fare options while continually providing better service with resources available,” Donovan said.