Springing back into F/M service

Following the completion of a track replacement project, full service on the F and M lines resumed on Monday morning, April 1. Find more details about this project and the return to service on our website.

MTA Board Adopts Central Business District Toll Rates

In an historic step forward for cleaner, safer streets and transit investment, last week the MTA Board voted 11 to 1 to approve the proposed toll schedule for Central Business District Tolling, also known as congestion pricing. The vote followed a public comment period in which the MTA heard from more than 25,000 commenters and 386 speakers at four public hearings, including dozens of speakers and commenters calling for investments in accessible transit. The Central Business District Tolling Program (CBDTP) will generate vital funding for accessibility projects and infrastructure modernization across the MTA, which means more accessible stations and faster trips between them. It will also help relieve congestion in lower Manhattan, improving speeds for bus riders, Access-A-Ride users, and drivers alike. Details about the disability exemption for the program will be posted to the MTA website this month. Learn more about CBDTP.

Transit Employee Appreciation Day look-back

March 18 was Transit Employee Appreciation Day. We had a great time celebrating our colleagues and counterparts across the country and the world! MTA leadership spent the day around the system with transit workers from all agencies.

Brand new MTA app 

Goodbye, MYmta, hello MTA app! Last week, we upgraded the MYmta app to the MTA app. This MTA app has many exciting new features to make your experience traveling with us a little easier—including the option to "favorite" your most-used subway stations and lines, bus stops, railroads stations, and elevators and escalators so that you can check their status more easily. You can also configure push notifications, use dark mode, and more. If you already have the MYmta app downloaded and have automatic updates selected in your settings, it will automatically update to the newest version. Otherwise, go ahead to your app store and manually update the app. Learn more about the MTA’s official apps. We're continuing to improve the app based on your feedback, so please let us know what you think. You can do that right in the app--look for the "App Feedback" link in the "More" tab.

Two newly accessible stations in Williamsburg!

This week, we opened our 150th and 151st accessible stations, with Metropolitan Av (G) and Lorimer St (L) in Brooklyn.

Commuter rail updates

New Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road map and station webpages

This month, the MTA announced a new combined digital railroad map and accompanying station webpages that provide more accessibility information to our customers.

In addition to the blue accessibility icon, the map now includes a white accessibility icon that indicates that a station has step-free access but may not yet have every feature of a fully accessible station. With this new map, an additional 21 railroad stations have an icon indicating that a station is fully accessible or has step-free accessibility, giving access to many stations without any new capital investment.

To identify exactly which features are at each station, customers should consult the new station-specific pages that list accessibility features. Each station page also includes the next train departures, parking areas maps, ticket office hours, transit connections, and more. The webpages centralize important information about each station and are another example of how designing for improved accessibility can universally improve the experience of any customer using the railroad.

New railroad accessibility survey

We just released a new survey for our railroad customers specifically related to accessibility. We need your feedback so that we can address your most pressing concerns and make your commuter rail journeys as seamless as possible. If you travel on Long Island Rail Road or Metro-North Railroad, please complete the survey and share with your networks before the survey closes on Friday, April 5.

Expanding innovative wayfinding solutions

Access-A-Ride (AAR) Updates

Piloting OMNY for AAR

Earlier this month, our partners at Access-A-Ride began rolling out OMNY contactless fare payment as an option for AAR customers. This pilot gives an initial group of AAR customers the option to set up an OMNY account and have the cost of their AAR trips automatically drawn from that account after trip completion. That means no longer needing to carry $2.90 in exact change for each ride – though cash will always remain an option for AAR customers who choose to use it. With OMNY, AAR customers will also have a single card that serves at both their ID for AAR trips and their fare payment card for subway and bus trips, rather than having to carry a separate AAR ID and MetroCard. We are starting with a small pilot to ensure every new process runs smoothly before beginning to roll out OMNY to all 170,000 AAR customers.

On The Move newsletter

Check out the most recent edition of AAR’s On The Move newsletter. In this edition, find details on AAR customer feedback, tips on scheduling trips and writing addresses, AAR’s bag policy, taxi authorizations, and the updated AAR phone directory. The phone directory options have recently been streamlined so when you next call to book or inquire about a trip, listen carefully to the new options—you can also see the new AAR phone book options laid out in detail on our website.

Remembering accessibility advocate Edith Prentiss