The MTA is expanding accessibility in subway stations and on buses

July marks Disability Pride Month and we want to highlight some of the advances we’ve made.

We were proud to be part of a turning point in history, with the MTA’s historic commitment to make 95% of all 450-plus subway stations accessible to wheelchair users by 2055 approved in federal court. To get there, the MTA has pledged to make an average of 10 stations accessible every year from now to 2055, a massive undertaking which requires billions of dollars of investment and will improve our system for millions of New Yorkers.

We are expanding accessibility throughout the transit system, with 2023 poised to be an inclusive year for our bus, subway, and paratransit systems, creating an environment that will help New York City Transit reach its Faster, Cleaner, Safer goal of increasing customer satisfaction.

In our subways, we have brought accessibility upgrades to several stations including two of our busiest stations: Penn Station and Times Square. They now benefit from additional elevators, improving reliability and giving customers more, and often quicker, options to get to their train.

In the three years since the pandemic began, we kept our momentum of bringing historic accessibility enhancements, completing accessibility projects at 20 stations, including three this month alone. And we’re on the verge of bringing several additional accessible stations online in the coming months, with elevators, ramps, and other ADA-accessibility upgrades in progress at more than 30 stations across all five boroughs.

Accessibility in the subway is about more than elevators and ramps. Systemwide accessibility makes every aspect of our stations and trains better for customers with disabilities and seniors, families, visitors, and others who benefit from a more accessible system.

The Wide Aisle Gate pilot at two stations provides an enhanced point of entry for customers who use wheelchairs, have strollers, luggage, or bikes. Feedback has been positive, and we are seeing increases in paid fares compared to the old gates they replaced.

Our new R211 subway cars feature wider doors, more intuitive and detailed digital strip maps, and enhanced lighting. Station agents have moved outside of the booth and are armed with new training and tools to assist customers with disabilities. And we’ve enhanced our real-time reporting of elevator status in the subway, so customers can travel with confidence. This reimagined customer support is a sea change.

OMNY also continues to gather momentum for Reduced-Fare customers. Last year, we became the first major transit system to offer Reduced-Fare customers the ability to pay with a personal phone or bank card — opening all payment options to seniors and customers with disabilities. By opening 13 new Customer Service Centers throughout the system, we are bringing customer support directly to those Reduced-Fare customers who want to upgrade to OMNY via their own payment devices, and more than 30,000 seniors and customers with disabilities have made the switch already.

For years, the MTA has been looking for a sustainable way to accommodate open strollers on buses while ensuring customers with disabilities are unaffected. Last fall, we began our open stroller pilot on about 150 buses, and more than 80% of feedback from customers was positive. So, in 2023, the pilot is expanding to an additional 50 routes and now includes more than 1,000 buses — 20% of our fleet — across every borough.

By providing a dedicated stroller space and preserving the existing space reserved for customers with disabilities, we have delivered a more inclusive and accessible bus system. We’re also expanding our NaviLens wayfinding pilot to make it easier for blind or low-vision customers, and those with limited English proficiency, to find their bus stops and get service information in a format accessible to them.

Paratransit has had a strong start to 2023, with record ridership and consistently high customer satisfaction. We remain committed to raising customer satisfaction on Access-A-Ride to at least 70%, as part of our North Star goals. We have worked to deliver improved service, reduced wait times, and an enhanced trip booking experience through our “My AAR” app. Moreover, we’re expanding our on-demand e-hail pilot while remaining focused on providing high-quality service for paratransit’s 160,000 customers.

Accessibility is at the core of our mission at the MTA. We are proud of our generational commitment to 95% accessibility in the subway, and we aren’t waiting a minute to get to work. Bringing real, tangible accessibility improvements to our transit system is one of the most impactful things we can do to improve the experience of customers and bring back riders, and the MTA is committed to doing the work to make it happen.

Arroyo is the MTA chief accessibility officer. Davey is the president of MTA New York City Transit.