NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — The MTA launched a "Courtesy Counts" campaign this week to urge riders to respect the transit system and each other as ridership continues to climb following a pandemic plunge.
“The goal isn’t to lecture anyone, we just wanted to have a little bit of fun explaining our Rules of Conduct as ridership continues to grow,” said Shanifah Rieara, acting chief customer officer and senior advisor.
The initiative will use 34 creative illustrations to remind passengers of the MTA’s Code of Conduct, such as "Seats are for butts, not your bags," "Your pet shouldn’t come if they can’t stay," "Take your trash when your ride is over," and "Block punts. Don’t block doors."
The campaign comes after a surge in transit ridership. The New York City Subway reported record post-pandemic paid rides with 4,179,902 on Sept. 20. LIRR also had its highest post-pandemic ridership on Sept. 20 with 242,202 passengers.
“We’ve stepped up, adding service on a number of subway lines and raising on-time performance to its highest level in decades,” NYC Transit President Richard Davey said. “Now, we’re asking our customers to do their part by showing respect to their fellow New Yorkers and by helping us keep trains and buses moving by following the Rules of Conduct.”
