86th Street Subway Station

[Lorynda]

A neigbor infomred me that the 86th street subway was going to lose it's attendant.

Considering how unsafe it already feels there I can't imagine why they would do this. 86th street is one of the busiest stations during rush hour. When I'm commuting home it seems as if everyone gets off there.

It's sad that at times like these the MTA continues to make cuts rather than thinking of ways to improve their bottom line by taking advantage of technology instead of firing people.

[Jason]

Those cuts are happening at all stations - not that it's a great loss.

Most of the booth attendants are always on the phone - I doubt they're work related since seriously - what are they talking about? The number of people on the platform?

They're usually surely acting as if they're doing you a big favor by answering your questions.

The MTA would do far better by getting rid of the booths and having the attendants stand outside and assist people.

[Lorynda]

Just heard that 110th street is losing it's attendant

[Rebecca H.]

Why is the MTA cutting back on services when a several years ago they had a surplus? Did they spend all their money like Annie Leibovitz? haha!
The city may be a safer place than it was 10 years ago but when we stop being diligent, crime can come back.
Station attendants also give directions and explain the metrocard machines. They also explain things when the trains stop working.

[Susan18]

Any woman who rides the subways in the evenings by themselves appreciates knowing that there's an attendant nearby, hopefully watching over the station. If anything, the attendant acts as a deterrent to crime.

[Reller]

It is ultimately an issue of economics.

To have attendants standing around 24 hours a day giving directions when in the past they provided token services, since supplanted by machines, doesn't make sense.

If security and directions are what's being asked for, then stations should be attended by hired guards who know the subway and the city. They need not be there 24 hours a day, but possibly in two shifts, from 4PM - 9AM every day.

[Ant112]

It is ultimately an issue of economics.

To have attendants standing around 24 hours a day giving directions when in the past they provided token services, since supplanted by machines, doesn't make sense.

If security and directions are what's being asked for, then stations should be attended by hired guards who know the subway and the city. They need not be there 24 hours a day, but possibly in two shifts, from 4PM - 9AM every day.

Security guards would cost even more than station agents!

[Reller]

If you think station attendants are obligated or will help you, think again:
Thursday, Apr. 2 2009

To all the ladies who stand alone on a subway platform late at night, hoping that being within eyeshot of a station agent will make you somewhat safer from harm: You're wrong.

MTA employees have no responsibly to intervene if you happen to be attacked and raped right in front of them, a Queens judge effectively ruled on Tuesday when he threw out a lawsuit brought against the MTA, and a station agent and train conductor who witnessed a rape in the 21st St. G train station in June 2005.

Justice Kevin Kerrigan ruled that the conductor, Harmodio Cruz, and station agent, John Koort, took "prompt and decisive action" in summoning the police. The police did not arrive in time, however, to prevent the then-21-year-old victim from being raped twice after being dragged kicking and screaming past the station agent's booth as he watched. Her attacker escaped and has never been caught.

The victim called the decision "deplorable" today, and her lawyer Marc Albert told the Voice that they planned to appeal.

Here's the MTA's statement: "It is important to note that while NYC Transit workers are trained to the highest degree of professionalism in their assigned jobs, they are not and should not be expected to perform in the capacity of law enforcement officers." They added that "incidents of crime in the subways remain at historic lows."

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninsca ... _emplo.php

[DaveR]

New York Times says

www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/nyregion/09subway.html?hpw

Subway station agents, once mandatory for selling tokens, have traveled a slow road toward obsolescence. Booth closings began earlier this decade, after transit officials decided they were an antiquated antecedent to MetroCards and their colorful kiosks.

But riders said they liked having the agents around, particularly at night as a deterrent against crime. A compromise plan in 2005 reoriented the job toward customer service, placing some clerks outside the booths to better assist riders. Now that program is being wiped out.

In all, nearly 800 more agents will be reassigned in the next several years; those who retire will not be replaced.

At the 110th Street station on the No. 1 line, no agent remains on the uptown platform.

[Maria S.]

It is dangerous to not have a person at each station. even if they don't help their presence will stop many crimes. With no official at every station criminals will be tempted.