NEW YORK — Marci Gaede, of Brooklyn, never thought to call 311 for an issue with the subway.

“I’ve always thought it was like, utilities or other things,” she said from a subway platform at Union Square.

Now, she and other riders can.

The MTA and 311 announced Friday that people can now file reports to the city’s complaint hotline regarding subway panhandlers who are not aggressive, people seeking shelter in the transit system who need social services, someone having a mental health issue, or obstructed passages. Station agents will also be able to file reports from tablets in their booths.

Gaede, a paralegal who commutes from Lower Manhattan to her home in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, questioned how fast 311 would respond compared to emergency services.

Still, she said, “I think it’s a good idea. I really do because it’s time, that way we can all be involved.”

“Nowadays with COVID, what I’m finding interesting is that individuals are angry, they’re afraid, they’re upset,” Gaede continued. “A lot of times those feelings can be distilled if there’s somebody who is showing personal interest in them and wanting to know, how can I help you?”

Before, 311 reports required addresses and intersections, a piece of information that does not apply underground, an issue that the head of New York City Transit, Sarah Feinberg, raised at a City Council hearing earlier this year.

Now riders can provide the line, station and place within the station

In a soft launch of the new 311 reporting system, the complaint hotline received over 200 reports since May about people who are homeless in the subway.

Riders who called 311 for issues above ground welcomed it.

“If it has something to do with saving somebody’s life, I would definitely do it,” said Gwendolyn Davis, a commuter.

“I think that’s a great idea actually,” commuter Bernard Wells said. “Obviously there’s a lot of people who need services down here in the subway, and if 311 is going to be the avenue for supporting people down here, do it.”

A city spokeswoman said 311 worked with the MTA to map out platforms and entrances for all stations to give New Yorkers a way to put precise locations for their reports so agencies know where to respond.

The spokeswoman added that reports to 311 will be transferred to the 911 emergency line if something illegal or dangerous is being reported.

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