NYC Subway Agents To Patrol Platforms In New Policy

Gothamist reports:

Subway station agents will leave booths to patrol platforms under a new policy announced by the MTA. The change goes into effect next year — and officials said the agents will be equipped with cell phones to notify MTA managers or the NYPD if they find problems in their stations.

It’s a historic shift for the station workers, who until the 1990s managed thousands of dollars in cash and subway tokens each day and were required to be locked inside the booths throughout their shifts.

But transit officials have aimed to change the workers’ duties since subway tokens were phased out in 2003. And now, as the MTA’s new OMNY tap-and-pay system is slated to fully replace MetroCards, Transport Workers Union Local 100 officials came to an agreement to make station agents more mobile.

Read the full article.

“Being able to move about is a far better approach than being stationary behind a booth with very limited view,” said New York City Transit President Richard Davey.https://t.co/SujvIzovEI

— Gothamist (@Gothamist) December 10, 2022