Riders advocate for NYC transit service every six minutes

NEW YORK, N.Y. (PIX11) – Waiting only six minutes every time you catch your bus or train is a dream to most New Yorkers, but transit advocates say it can be a reality.

They’re pushing for big dollars in the state budget and calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to make it happen.

“We need six-minute service to help transit-dependent riders and get our city moving,” said Mayra Aldás-Deckertc, lead organizer for Riders Alliance.

Their fight goes beyond transit advocacy. Immigrant, labor, and climate activists rallied with them in Lower Manhattan on Thursday, calling on Hochul to deliver a plan in the state budget that would give citywide riders six-minute service.

New York State Assembly Member Amanda Septimo, from the 84^th District, says it’s also an economic and racial justice issue.

“It is no coincidence that if you look in communities of color, that’s where you have people traveling the longest to get to work,” Septimo said. “It’s no coincidence that the poorer you are, the longer you will commute to work.”

State Senator Jessica Ramos quoted Colombian president Gustavo Petro.

“A developed country is not one where everyone can own cars,” Ramos said. “A developed country is one where the wealthy uses public transportation.”

They’re pushing for $2.2 billion in the state budget to save transit riders from the MTA fiscal cliff and to invest in more service. Of that figure, $300 million would be put towards six-minute service.

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