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| Coronavirus in N.Y.: Riders Ditch the Subway as Fear Spreads | Coronavirus in N.Y.: Riders Ditch the Subway as Fear Spreads |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Cyclists have flooded bike lanes and bridges to avoid taking the New York City subway. One man in his 50s has started walking two hours from Brooklyn to Manhattan for work each day to avoid taking the train. A recent college graduate who lives in Manhattan is considering moving in with her parents so she can use their car to drive to work in the Bronx. | Cyclists have flooded bike lanes and bridges to avoid taking the New York City subway. One man in his 50s has started walking two hours from Brooklyn to Manhattan for work each day to avoid taking the train. A recent college graduate who lives in Manhattan is considering moving in with her parents so she can use their car to drive to work in the Bronx. |
| As concerns over the coronavirus escalate across the New York City region, many riders have abandoned crowded public transit to protect themselves from the virus, which as of Thursday had infected nearly 330 people in the state. | As concerns over the coronavirus escalate across the New York City region, many riders have abandoned crowded public transit to protect themselves from the virus, which as of Thursday had infected nearly 330 people in the state. |
| “To be on public transportation, I just feel like it’s a risk that’s not really worth taking,” said Joe Misseri, 30, who started biking to his office in Manhattan’s Battery Park City from the East Village this week. | “To be on public transportation, I just feel like it’s a risk that’s not really worth taking,” said Joe Misseri, 30, who started biking to his office in Manhattan’s Battery Park City from the East Village this week. |
| Others have decided to walk to work instead of using the subway. | Others have decided to walk to work instead of using the subway. |
| Gilbert Midonnet, a software developer, began walking two hours from his home in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, to his office in midtown Manhattan this week to avoid any possible exposure on the train. | Gilbert Midonnet, a software developer, began walking two hours from his home in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, to his office in midtown Manhattan this week to avoid any possible exposure on the train. |
| “I like walking, and of course it’s been nice outside,” Mr. Midonnet said. “Of course, if it gets cold again I’m not sure how sustainable this lifestyle is, unless it’s a World War Z sort of thing where no one is going into the subway.” | “I like walking, and of course it’s been nice outside,” Mr. Midonnet said. “Of course, if it gets cold again I’m not sure how sustainable this lifestyle is, unless it’s a World War Z sort of thing where no one is going into the subway.” |
| The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the subway, buses and two commuter railroads, said that on Wednesday ridership fell by nearly 20 percent on subways and 15 percent on buses compared with a similar day last year. The subway system typically handles around 5.5 million riders each weekday. | The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the subway, buses and two commuter railroads, said that on Wednesday ridership fell by nearly 20 percent on subways and 15 percent on buses compared with a similar day last year. The subway system typically handles around 5.5 million riders each weekday. |
| During the morning rush on Thursday, ridership on the Long Island Rail Road was down 31 percent, and on Metro-North Railroad, which serves suburbs north of New York, it was down by 48 percent compared with a similar rush hour last year, M.T.A. officials said. | During the morning rush on Thursday, ridership on the Long Island Rail Road was down 31 percent, and on Metro-North Railroad, which serves suburbs north of New York, it was down by 48 percent compared with a similar rush hour last year, M.T.A. officials said. |
| Metro-North provides service to New Rochelle, the town in Westchester County that has been the site of the state’s worst outbreak and where Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared a “containment zone” to effectively quarantine part of the town. | Metro-North provides service to New Rochelle, the town in Westchester County that has been the site of the state’s worst outbreak and where Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared a “containment zone” to effectively quarantine part of the town. |
| New Jersey Transit, which operates a vast network of commuter trains and buses, has seen a roughly 20 percent decline in bus and rail ridership this week compared to the same days last week, according to preliminary data from agency officials. Ridership on the PATH rail network, which links cities in northern New Jersey to Manhattan, also declined nearly 20 percent in the first three days of this week compared to last week, according to Port Authority officials. | New Jersey Transit, which operates a vast network of commuter trains and buses, has seen a roughly 20 percent decline in bus and rail ridership this week compared to the same days last week, according to preliminary data from agency officials. Ridership on the PATH rail network, which links cities in northern New Jersey to Manhattan, also declined nearly 20 percent in the first three days of this week compared to last week, according to Port Authority officials. |
| “I think that we’re going to see an uptick in ridership falling off a little bit and that’s to be expected,’’ Sarah Feinberg, the interim president of New York City Transit, which operates the subway and buses, said Thursday on the Brian Lehrer radio show. “I mean, I think we have not seen the worst of this virus yet.” | “I think that we’re going to see an uptick in ridership falling off a little bit and that’s to be expected,’’ Sarah Feinberg, the interim president of New York City Transit, which operates the subway and buses, said Thursday on the Brian Lehrer radio show. “I mean, I think we have not seen the worst of this virus yet.” |
| Officials expect even steeper ridership declines in the coming weeks now that the state and city have imposed sweeping restrictions on large gatherings, forcing the closing of Broadway theaters and many museums. An increasing number of employers are telling their employees to work from home. | Officials expect even steeper ridership declines in the coming weeks now that the state and city have imposed sweeping restrictions on large gatherings, forcing the closing of Broadway theaters and many museums. An increasing number of employers are telling their employees to work from home. |
| So far transit officials have not considered reducing service, but may decide to do so if ridership drops dramatically or health officials advise it, Ms. Feinberg said. | So far transit officials have not considered reducing service, but may decide to do so if ridership drops dramatically or health officials advise it, Ms. Feinberg said. |
| N.J. Transit riders who purchased monthly passes but are now working from home can mail in their passes and receive a prorated refund, according to the New Jersey Transit website. An M.T.A. spokeswoman said that a refund policy for riders who have purchased monthly MetroCards will be reviewed. | |
| A similar decline in ridership has taken place in public transit systems in other cities where confirmed cases of coronavirus are ballooning. Last week, on San Francisco’s BART commuter rail, ridership slipped by 8 percent from the previous week. On Monday, ridership dropped 25 percent compared with the previous Monday. | A similar decline in ridership has taken place in public transit systems in other cities where confirmed cases of coronavirus are ballooning. Last week, on San Francisco’s BART commuter rail, ridership slipped by 8 percent from the previous week. On Monday, ridership dropped 25 percent compared with the previous Monday. |
| As the pandemic unfolds, the advice from health professionals to avoid crowded places is creating concern among transit experts about what a loss of riders could do to the M.T.A.’s already worsening finances. | As the pandemic unfolds, the advice from health professionals to avoid crowded places is creating concern among transit experts about what a loss of riders could do to the M.T.A.’s already worsening finances. |
| Around half the M.T.A.’s operating budget comes from farebox and toll revenue, and a significant drop in ridership could have lasting economic consequences, experts say. An economic recession would also threaten the dedicated taxes that contribute over a third of the operating budget. | Around half the M.T.A.’s operating budget comes from farebox and toll revenue, and a significant drop in ridership could have lasting economic consequences, experts say. An economic recession would also threaten the dedicated taxes that contribute over a third of the operating budget. |
| The transit agency is already facing significantly high debt at the same time as it is embarking on an ambitious and expensive plan to modernize aging equipment like train cars and signals. | The transit agency is already facing significantly high debt at the same time as it is embarking on an ambitious and expensive plan to modernize aging equipment like train cars and signals. |
| Complicating the financial picture are questions about how soon the state will be able to introduce congestion pricing, a plan to impose a fee on drivers entering Manhattan’s most congested neighborhoods as a way to raise revenue for public transit. | Complicating the financial picture are questions about how soon the state will be able to introduce congestion pricing, a plan to impose a fee on drivers entering Manhattan’s most congested neighborhoods as a way to raise revenue for public transit. |
| The plan is supposed to start next year, but the state has yet to receive necessary approvals from the Trump administration. | The plan is supposed to start next year, but the state has yet to receive necessary approvals from the Trump administration. |
| “Even without the coronavirus pandemic, the M.T.A.’s finances look shaky; with it they look dire,” said Danny Pearlstein, a spokesman for the Riders Alliance, a grass-roots organization of transit riders. | “Even without the coronavirus pandemic, the M.T.A.’s finances look shaky; with it they look dire,” said Danny Pearlstein, a spokesman for the Riders Alliance, a grass-roots organization of transit riders. |
| The authority’s long-term debt is projected to hit nearly $53 billion by 2023, which will require transit officials to come up with around $4 billion a year by 2023 — around 22 percent of the agency’s operating budget — just for debt payments, according to a report released on Wednesday by the state comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli. | The authority’s long-term debt is projected to hit nearly $53 billion by 2023, which will require transit officials to come up with around $4 billion a year by 2023 — around 22 percent of the agency’s operating budget — just for debt payments, according to a report released on Wednesday by the state comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli. |
| Mr. DiNapoli warned that any sharp drop in revenue — similar to the one the M.T.A. experienced during the 2008 financial crisis — could force service cuts to save money and saddle riders with unplanned fares and toll hikes. | Mr. DiNapoli warned that any sharp drop in revenue — similar to the one the M.T.A. experienced during the 2008 financial crisis — could force service cuts to save money and saddle riders with unplanned fares and toll hikes. |
| In 2009, facing its worst financial crisis in decades, M.T.A. officials slashed bus service and eliminated two lines to save money. | In 2009, facing its worst financial crisis in decades, M.T.A. officials slashed bus service and eliminated two lines to save money. |
| “The big concern is the downward spiral of declining ridership and unaffordable fare hikes that further discourages people from riding the subway,” said Rachael Fauss, a senior research analyst at Reinvent Albany, a watchdog group. “It’s exactly the kind of thing you want to avoid with public transit.” | “The big concern is the downward spiral of declining ridership and unaffordable fare hikes that further discourages people from riding the subway,” said Rachael Fauss, a senior research analyst at Reinvent Albany, a watchdog group. “It’s exactly the kind of thing you want to avoid with public transit.” |
| The decline in ridership comes as the number of confirmed cases in New York City rose to 95 on Thursday and both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Mr. Cuomo urged people to avoid crowded spaces. | The decline in ridership comes as the number of confirmed cases in New York City rose to 95 on Thursday and both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Mr. Cuomo urged people to avoid crowded spaces. |
| Many New Yorkers have listened. | Many New Yorkers have listened. |
| Kira Paley, 22, who works in research at a medical school in the Bronx, started using ride-hailing apps like Uber or Lyft to get to work after a relative in New Rochelle tested positive for coronavirus. “That just hit really close to home,” she said. | Kira Paley, 22, who works in research at a medical school in the Bronx, started using ride-hailing apps like Uber or Lyft to get to work after a relative in New Rochelle tested positive for coronavirus. “That just hit really close to home,” she said. |
| Her parents have helped cover the cost of the trips — usually between $20 and $35 one way — but she is considering moving to their house in New Jersey and using her parents’ car to drive to work if the research center does not implement a work-from-home policy. | Her parents have helped cover the cost of the trips — usually between $20 and $35 one way — but she is considering moving to their house in New Jersey and using her parents’ car to drive to work if the research center does not implement a work-from-home policy. |
| Many other commuters have opted to bike to work instead, with the number of cyclists who cross East River bridges more than doubling since the beginning of March compared with the same period last year, according to the city’s Department of Transportation. | Many other commuters have opted to bike to work instead, with the number of cyclists who cross East River bridges more than doubling since the beginning of March compared with the same period last year, according to the city’s Department of Transportation. |
| Citi Bike, the bike share service in New York City, also recorded nearly 70 percent more trips this month than the same time last year. | Citi Bike, the bike share service in New York City, also recorded nearly 70 percent more trips this month than the same time last year. |
| On Monday, Transportation Alternatives, the bicycle and pedestrian advocacy group, urged the city to create pop-up bike lanes and expedite the expansion of Citi Bike to accommodate to the increase in cycling. | On Monday, Transportation Alternatives, the bicycle and pedestrian advocacy group, urged the city to create pop-up bike lanes and expedite the expansion of Citi Bike to accommodate to the increase in cycling. |
| Chris Monk, a writer who lives in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn and commutes to the financial district in Manhattan, began biking to the East River from home, taking a ferry to Manhattan and walking to his office. | Chris Monk, a writer who lives in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn and commutes to the financial district in Manhattan, began biking to the East River from home, taking a ferry to Manhattan and walking to his office. |
| “I thought I should take some sensible steps to reduce my exposure,” Mr. Monk said. “The subway was just an obvious one.” | “I thought I should take some sensible steps to reduce my exposure,” Mr. Monk said. “The subway was just an obvious one.” |
| Patrick McGeehan contributed reporting. | Patrick McGeehan contributed reporting. |