NYC Transit President Richard Davey has only been on the job for two months, but he is already leading the agency through several new projects aimed at improving service.
Since stepping into the role, the MTA has changed the timetables on the 2, 3, 4 and 5 lines as a way to speed trains and shorten commutes, and the redesign of the Bronx bus network started on Saturday.
Still, the new projects come at the MTA is struggling to get ridership numbers up.
During an appearance on "Mornings On 1," Davey said low ridership is something that the agency is closely watching and will be considering more and more as the pandemic recovery continues.
"We're gonna have to think about potentially service changes, right? And so my team is now looking at rather than just a weekday and weekend kind of service, should we have a hybrid model on Mondays and Fridays, for example? So we're looking at that. I'm not sure what that means quite yet. But we need to look at the ridership patterns," he said.
He also said that the agency is continuing to do everything it can to improve subway service, and avoid delays and cancelations due to limited crews.
"We're still 200, I think, train operators below where we need to be," Davey said. "We've been throwing extra resources. We've asked retirees to come back, for example. We've sped up our training classes and we've increased our training classes, but we're still a few months away from getting to where we need to be. At (buses), we're just about there at pre-pandemic levels."
While former NYC Transit President Andy Byford had a bit of a tumultuous relationship with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Davey told Annika Pergament and Jamie Stelter that his relationships with Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams have been constructive so far.
"It's a great team to be part of," Davey said. "And, you know, I'm excited. You know, from my experience in Boston, I know there we had a mayor and a governor who worked very closely as well. If that happens as it's happening here, it can make a huge difference."