Bill Text: NY S05506 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Enacts the metropolitan transportation authority rider's bill of rights.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-04 - REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION [S05506 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-S05506-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         5506
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                     May 26, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen. PERKINS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
       AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to enacting  the
         metropolitan transportation authority rider's bill of rights
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. The public authorities law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    2  section 1266-j to read as follows:
    3    S  1266-J.  METROPOLITAN  TRANSPORTATION  AUTHORITY  RIDER'S  BILL  OF
    4  RIGHTS.  ALL MEMBERS OF NEW YORK CITY'S TRANSIT RIDING PUBLIC  HAVE  THE
    5  RIGHT TO:
    6    1. RELIABLE, ON-TIME, AFFORDABLE AND EFFICIENT TRANSIT.
    7    2.  ACCESS  TO ACCURATE, REAL-TIME INFORMATION AND CLEAR ANNOUNCEMENTS
    8  ABOUT WHEN TRAINS AND BUSES WILL ARRIVE AND INFORMATION  CONCERNING  ANY
    9  SIGNIFICANT  SERVICE  DELAYS BEFORE SWIPING A METROCARD, OR UPON ARRIVAL
   10  AT A BUS STOP. IF A BUS, SUBWAY, OR COMMUTER RAIL  TRAIN  IS  MORE  THAN
   11  FIFTEEN MINUTES LATE, UPDATED SERVICE INFORMATION WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE
   12  VIA  INTERNET,  EMAIL OR TEXT MESSAGE TO SUBSCRIBERS, P.A. ANNOUNCEMENTS
   13  ON SUBWAY PLATFORMS, AND ELECTRONIC  MESSAGE  BOARDS  ON  COMMUTER  RAIL
   14  PLATFORMS.
   15    3. A MORE ACCESSIBLE TRANSIT SYSTEM, WITH LEVEL BOARDING FOR BUSES AND
   16  WORKING ELEVATORS AND ESCALATORS WITHIN ALL SUBWAY STATIONS.
   17    4.  SAFE AND WELL-LIT SUBWAY AND BUS FACILITIES, WITH MTA EMPLOYEES ON
   18  HAND TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND RESPOND IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.
   19    5.  CLEAN,  REGULARLY  MAINTAINED  MTA  FACILITIES  INCLUDING   SUBWAY
   20  STATIONS, SUBWAY CARS, BUSES AND BUS STOPS.
   21    6.  HELPFUL,  COURTEOUS  SERVICE  FROM STATION AGENTS, BUS DRIVERS AND
   22  OTHER MTA EMPLOYEES.
   23    7. TRANSPARENT AND EASILY-USED LINES OF COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN  RIDERS
   24  AND  THE  MTA  WITH  MECHANISMS  IN  PLACE TO ADDRESS RIDER CONCERNS AND
   25  COMPLAINTS.  CONVENIENT AND PROMINENTLY LOCATED BUS, TRAIN, AND  STATION
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD09843-02-1
       S. 5506                             2
    1  POSTERS  WILL  PROVIDE  THE  INFORMATION NEEDED TO REGISTER COMMENTS AND
    2  COMPLAINTS WHICH WILL BE RESPONDED TO BY TOP LEVEL MANAGEMENT.
    3    8.  FARE  HIKES  THAT ARE ONLY ENACTED AS A LAST RESORT WHEN ALL OTHER
    4  FUNDING OPTIONS HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED, AS WELL AS STABLE FUNDING  FOR  THE
    5  MTA FROM THE STATE AND CITY, IN GOOD ECONOMIC TIMES AND BAD.
    6    9.  OFFICIAL PRIORITIZATION OF THE OPERATION, MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVE-
    7  MENT OF THE EXISTING TRAIN AND BUS NETWORK BEFORE ITS EXPANSION.
    8    10. A MINIMUM OF ONE TRANSIT WORKER AND ONE TRANSIT  RIDER  AS  VOTING
    9  MEMBERS OF THE MTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
   10    S  2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
   11  ing the date on which it shall have become a law.