The MTA Is Now Handing Out Free Passes To Every Single Person Who Has Had An "Inconvenient Commuting Experience" On The Subway

Source – The MTA is feeling apologetic. As a way to say sorry, passengers inconvenienced on their commute will receive a courtesy pass. The new courtesy passes are valid for 48 hours and can be used for reentry into another train station or bus.

This is it. The MTA has officially thrown in the towel. They’re not even trying to fix the problem anymore, they’re just throwing people free passes. To be honest, I don’t hate it. But it’s a small band aid on a much larger, more complex series of problems that the city has been trying to fix for decades. I’d pinpoint what it is, but I can’t because it’s everything. Simply put, it’s a shit show. I asked KFC to describe the MTA in three words and he said, “Worst. Organization. Ever.” And it’s not even the delays and the homeless and the crackheads that scream at you while you’re on your way to hot yoga on the Upper West Side that’s the main issue.

It’s the fact they got a BILLION dollar federal loan in 2015 and made literally zero changes. It’s the fact that they’re expected to be $42 BILLION in debt by 2022. It’s the fact that they continue to raise fares despite the fact that the service they’re providing is fucking terrible. It’s the fact that a train hasn’t run on time since 2002. And that when you go underground to catch a subway, you’re at the mercy of whatever mismanaged track project they have that’s causing delays. It’s the fact that no one is accountable and nothing makes sense. And I think it all comes back to them spending money in the wrong places. People can tolerate a whole lot of bullshit if the environment they’re in isn’t covered in puke and piss and God knows what. How about you run a mop across the platform once in a while? Or change the trash cans more than once a month? The whole organization is so in over its head that people are suggesting legalizing marijuana and using the tax money to help pay for things. In short, like KFC said, it is one of the most poorly run organizations (outside of the Mets) of all time.

They hired a new British MTA Chief last spring who had a bunch of ideas, but who knows if he can get anything done. He does have a British accent, though, which is a plus. 60 Minutes did a piece on him.

At the end of the day the MTA needs to clean house and start from scratch. Handing out rides is a nice gesture and I’ll take a free Metro card any day of the week, but it’s not fixing anything. I hope they printed a lot of passes because everyone who’s ever ridden the subway has had their “commute disrupted.”