Buy Or Don’t Buy

Yeah, I see something! Seats!

Choo Choo! New trains are coming into town. And no one is going to be happy about it. At first there was a rise in subway fare with promises of more and new trains to reduce delays on subway platforms. Well, that nice little promise is turning out to be a suckfest. In 5-7 months, the MTA, Metropolis Transit Authority, will be introducing new cars to the subway system that have lockable seats.

Transit officials are planning to roll out a pilot program featuring a train with flip-up seats in four of 10 cars. The seats will be locked in the up position during rush hour. (WNBC)

What’s the point? I’m not really sure. I’m guessing it’s to piss off more New Yorkers to keep up the legend that New Yorkers are curmudgeons. Lucky for those very fortunate (meaning unfortunate) rush hour commuters, these locked up seats won’t only tease wary travelers but they will also free up 18% more space to fit about 18% more people in a car! Wonderful!

There are so many variables. What happens if a train isn’t full during rush hour, which sometimes happens? Does that mean the seats will still be locked? What if there is a geezer or a pregnant woman? Do we have to wait for a seat to be unlocked before we travel on? When the homeless come and ask for money, how am I supposed to avoid being rubbed against?

The original idea of new cars and more trains have been crushed.

The move comes as the agency tries to grapple with several challenging realities. On several lines, the agency can’t run more trains per hour safely because of the current signal system’s limitations. The agency faces huge budget gaps and long-term solutions like upgraded signal and communications systems are extremely expensive. (Daily News)

It’s good to know they looked at the obvious ways to solve the delays and packed cars issues. But if you want logic, then maybe spending the big bucks for a longer term fix might be worth customer satisfaction along with safer rails. Not to mention, ridership has been growing by the millions so splurging on communication systems might be able to be paid for. Then, throw in some new cars and then rush hour or any hour won’t be as bad. How ’bout dem apples for ya?