Leave Early, NYC Subway Wait Times Getting Worse

Wait times for subway trains in NYC are, unsurprisingly, getting worse, a report released by the New York State Comptroller’s office reveals. The Wall Street Journal reported on the audit, which also criticizes the MTA’s assessment method for wait times.

The MTA sets goals for wait times between trains across all lines. In 2013, the goal was to have 79.4 percent of all trains keep to the schedule, and it surpassed that goal. However in 2014, the agency failed to make it’s goal of 80.7 percent, and in the first six months of June 2015, it missed the mark again with 78.4 percent of trains meeting their target, about 2.3 percent below the goal, according to the State Comptroller’s report.

However the State Comptroller’s audit also says that the MTA might be overstating how often trains make it on time due to the current measurement system. According to the comptroller’s report the MTA averages times on all trains — so a shuttle train with just a couple of stops is measured with say a 5 Train which has dozens of stops. The comptroller says averaging wait times this way leads to skewed results.

The 5 Train incidentally was also the train that performed the worst by that metric and the G Train performed the best.

The MTA on its part has refuted the findings of this report. A spokesperson for the agency told the WSJ that the report, “includes misunderstandings, misinterpretations and outright misrepresentations of how the MTA is meeting these challenges, and is bereft of any substantive suggestions to make life better for subway customers.”

Editors note: Maybe folks like us who pay to take the subway, should consider “performance based pay,” for government agencies and electeds. When budgetary goals are not met for that year (like subway trains arriving on time) salaries, should be frozen.

Via NY Curbed