Res. No. 498

Resolution calling on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to create a program that provides New York City’s first responder agencies with real-time Global Positioning System (GPS) data for all MTA buses.

By Council Members Farías and Brooks-Powers

Whereas, The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is the largest public transportation agency in North America; and

Whereas, Among the MTA’s operating agencies are New York City Transit (NYCT), which manages, maintains, and runs subway and bus services in New York City (NYC), and MTA Bus Company, which operates local, express, and Select Bus Service routes in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens; and

Whereas, According to MTA ridership data, for 2023, the average weekday bus ridership for NYCT and MTA Bus Company buses was 1,082,428 and 279,247, respectively; and

Whereas, In addition, the annual total bus ridership for 2023 for NYCT and MTA Bus Company buses was 340,766,398 and 82,216,666, respectively; and

Whereas, While the MTA, through NYCT and MTA Bus Company, provides an invaluable service to New Yorkers daily, in recent years, concerns regarding the safety of passengers and employees within the MTA systems, including its bus network, have received significant attention; and

Whereas, This has been particularly true for workers on MTA buses, as according to the MTA, there were 76 assaults on MTA bus workers in 2022, and 70 assaults in 2023; and

Whereas, Although data for passenger assaults is not available, these concerns undermine the public’s perception of the safety of mass transit; and

Whereas, According to the MTA, it trains with local and national emergency response partners and regularly reviews its processes to keep customers safe; and

Whereas, MTA buses are equipped with a number of safety features, including roof hatches, emergency window exits, emergency rear door exit releases, and bus numbers, which are three- or four-digit numbers inside and outside the bus that allow for passengers to identify each vehicle, which is particularly useful in an emergency or if a crime is being committed on board; and

Whereas, In addition, MTA bus operators can call the Bus Command Center, as well as 911, if there is an emergency or crime on board; and

Whereas, To build upon the safety features and processes that already exist, the MTA could create a program to regularly share real-time Global Positioning System (GPS) data for its buses with NYC’s first responder agencies, such as the Police Department and the Fire Department; and

Whereas, With real-time GPS data for every MTA bus, responders would be able to address emergencies and crimes that occur on board more efficiently, as they would have clear and reliable information on exactly where the bus is; and

Whereas, Ensuring that the NYC agencies that respond to emergencies and crimes receive real-time and accurate GPS data for all MTA buses could save MTA passengers’ and MTA workers’ lives, while restoring the public’s sense of peace on public transportation; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to create a program that provides New York City’s first responder agencies with real-time Global Positioning System (GPS) data for all MTA buses.

KK

LS 15967

6/20/24