RiderRep

Updated October 2014

*N E W Y O R K S T A T ET R A N S I T R I D E R R E P R E S E N T A T I O Nw w w . n y s t e a . n e t

w w w . w e a c t . o r g

Public participation at Board meetings is often highly limited, and in some cases only record-ings of meetings are available

Transit unions are es-sential to the stability of our transit systems, and yet their voices are marginalized at the Board level with only non-voting positions

Board members decide the structure of procure-ment contracts, which have a large impact on NY States manufactur-ing economy

Board members deter-mine agency priorities including capital invest-ments, worker wages /benefits, and service changes, all of which effect community health in a fundamental way

The NYSTEA Rider-Representation campaign seeks to have at least two rider-representatives appointed to the governing boards of the five largest public transportation authorities in NY State. A rider-representative is a regular transit user that understands and advocates for transit-dependent people, and works to prevent transit agencies from primarily serving business and other special interest groups. This form of transit rider representation is a manner of achieving more equitable transit policies in terms of service, capital investments, public participation, and other functions of our public transportation system. Currently all board members that govern the states transit authorities - the systems we depend on - are appointed through a process of local officials submitting board member recommendations to the Governor, who appoints the recommendations with the consent

of the Senate, or rejects the nomination. The Governor also has the ability to appoint board members without input from local officials. This appointment process has led to the disproportionate appointment of people for their business and management acumen, rather than their experience as users of public transportation. Upstate transit authorities have no dedicated seat for transit riders on their boards, and labor only recently garnered a non-voting seat. While the MTA does have a seat for a regular mass transit user, that seat has no voting power, and arguably represents riders in name only. If transit is ever going to meet the needs of communities throughout NY State, the process of public participation and representation must be reformed, including at the highest levels of decision-making.

Who governs transit agencies?

How are transit agency leaders chosen?Rider Representation in Public Transportation

White Black/Latino/AsianFemaleNYs 5 largest public transportation authorities

Transit agencies can provide better service by having rider-representatives with voting power appointed to their leadership

CDTA

MTA

NFTARGRTA Centro

Nominations

submitted to

Governor by

local officia

lsAppoin

tments

confirmed by

Senate

Governors

nominate

appointees

without local

input No

minations

approved o

r

disapprove

d

by the Gove

rnor

54

911

31Holdovers

16Vacancies

63Total




White Female

Who is on the Board?

Black/Latino/Asian

The MTAs Permanent Citizens Advisory Council (PCAC) was established in 1981 to give riders a voice. But their voice is minimized by only having 1 non-voting seat on the Board

Fare increases of 4% are scheduled for 2015 and 2017, with no permanent solution to keep fares affordable in place

Large capital invest-ments by the MTA, such as the extension of the 7 train to Hudson Yards, greatly raise real estate value, while do-ing little for transit-de-pendent riders

The CEO and Chairman of the MTA Board of Directors, Thomas Prendergast, was hand-picked by Governor Cuomo

Who chooses the Board of Directors?

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a sprawling system that provides service to Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, Rockland, Westchester, Suffolk, and Nassau County, and New York City, an area that includes almost 14 million people with a wide range of mobility needs. Service that the MTA provides includes buses and trains, maintaining bridges and tunnels, and providing para transit for people with disabilities, among other things. In 2013 MTA ridership rose to nearly 2.7 billion trips, and is expected to rise more in the future. The MTA currently has the Permanent Citizens Advisory Council, which researches and deliberates the issues of transit dependent riders, yet this organization, which has existed

for decades, does not have voting power on the Board. In addition to the 7 train extension, East Side Access project, and 2nd Avenue subway, the MTA plans to make significant expansions to their Select Bus Service (express bus) program. The MTA has requested $30b for their 2015 - 2019 capital. However, the state government and federal agencies, have indicated that only half of that amount will be available, in which case the MTA Board would be forced to borrow, raising issues of debt service, or cut service and/or raise fares in order to meet budget priorities.

MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority)

MTA Counties: MTA Senate Districts:

s u f fo l k

c o u nt y

n a s s a uc o u n t y

o r a n g ec o o u n t y

p u t n a mc o u n t y

w e s t c h e s t e rc o u n t y

r o c kl a n d

c o u nt y

b r o n xc o u n t y

n e w y o r kc o u n t y

q u e e n sc o u n t y

k i n g sc o u n t y

r i c h m o n dc o u n t y

d u t c h e s sc o u n t y

commuter trainsubway

Mayor ofNew York City

County Executives for:Nassau, Suffolk, Orange, Dutchess,

Rockland, Westchester, Putnam

Governor and Senate confirm local recommendations

Governor submits own appointments

Local Recommendations State Control

12

12

7Holdovers

4Vacancies

16Total




White Female

50% of the fiscal year 2015 Capital Plan is being spent on System Improvement, 49% on Normal Replacement and 1% on State of Good Repair

37% of the fiscal year 2015 Capital Plan will be spent on BRT

CDTAs Universal Access Program allows bulk purchase of fares-e.g. for businesses and univer-sities. it makes up about 25% of ridership and is expected to increase

CDTAs operating budget has increased by $2m from 2014 to $78m, while the Capital Budget has increased $15m to $20m

Black/Latino/Asian


Who chooses the Board of Directors?

The Capital District Transit Authority (CDTA) provides bus service, including BusPLUS (a version of bus rapid transit), and STAR (paratransit) service for Saratoga, Rensselaer, Albany, and Schenectady county, which have a total population of almost 1 million people. CDTA ridership included over 16.5 million trips for fiscal year 2014. The CDTA Board of Directors lists as its primary mission to CDTAs $78 million operating budget

draws $44m from public monies, $18m from the fare box, and another $10m from the MRT, among other sources. The cost of fuel now accounts for a full 10% of the operating budget. The Capital Plan for 2015 is roughly $20m, with 37% ($7.5 million) being spent on Bus Rapid Transit, including a new 40-mile route network and a high-tech fare collection system. Transit ridership among CDTA constituents is at a 30 year high, and is expected to increase.

CDTA (Capital District Transit Authority)

45 - Betty Little

49 - Hugh Farley

43 - Kathleen Marchione

46 - Cecilia Tkaczky

44 - Neil Breslin

Rensselaer

Saratoga Springs

Schenectady

Albany

CDTA Counties: CDTA Senate Districts:

Schenectady Rensselaer

Albany

Saratoga

BusBRT

Schenectady County

Saratoga County

Rensselaer County


Albany County Legislature


9

0

3

6Holdovers

9*Total




White Female Black/Latino/Asian


Centro has 619 total projected employees for the fiscal year 2015

The Projected Operat-ing Budget for the fiscal years 2016 - 2018 is expected to operate at a total loss of $12.5 Million.

Centro has spent over $18 million, with signif-icant federal contribu-tions, in developing the new Transit Hub, which handles 12,000 daily riders

Centro recently filled a voting position on its Board, which had been vacant for 13 years, with the appointment of Donna Reese, a transit-dependent who is legally blind.

Who chooses the Board of Members?

The Central NY Regional Transportation Authority (CDTA), also known as Centro, provides transit service for Oswego, Oneida, Cayuga, and Onondaga counties, which have a combined population of over 900,000 people. Service provided by Centro includes limited bus routes, and paratransit services called OSCAR and Call-A-Bus. Annual ridership for Centro exceeds 15.3 million passengers. Centros Operating Budget for fiscal year 2015 is roughly $64.4 Million, while only spend-ing an additional $2 Million on capital projects.

Centro recently demonstrated leadership among NYs public transportation authorities in filling a 13 year Board vacancy with, Donna Reese, a resident and regular mass transit user. Ms. Reese, who is legally blind, is currently the only disabled member on the Board, and may serve to be a powerful voice for transit dependent people at the agency. This is an example of how transit agencies can improve constituent services without pursuing complicated and/or time-consuming policy changes.

Centro/CNYRTA (Central NY Regional Transportation Authority)

50 - John Defrancisco

48 - Patty Ritchie

53 - David Valesky

54 - Michael Nozzolio

51 - James Seward

Centro Counties: Centro Senate Districts:

Oswego

Syracuse

Auburn

Rome / Utica

Fulton

Oswego

Cayuga

Onondaga

Oneida

Bus

Syracuse Common Council

Oneida County

Legislature

Onondaga County Executive



Counties with 100k residents

?

?2

7Holdovers

5Vacancies

12Total




White Female

From 2009 to 2014, State Mass Transit Operating Assistance (STOA), has only increased roughly $2 million, and has seen no increase from 2013.

Starting in November 2014 all routes will move to the new RTS Transit Center at 60 St. Paul Street. With the move will come a change in routes, stops and times

The new RTS transit terminal will open in downtown Rochester in November of 2014. The facility cost over $50 million and will host over 20,000 daily transit riders

Regional Transit Ser-vice operates 28 indi-vidual routes, most of which operate on a hub and spoke system from Downtown Rochester


Who chooses the Board of Commissioners?

Black/Latino/Asian

RGRTA (Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority) The Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA) serves Orleans, Wayne, Genesee, Livingston, Wyoming, Monroe, and Seneca County, with the highest concentration of riders located in the City of Rochester. Total population for RGRTA service area exceeds 1 million people. Service provided by the RGRTA includes bus service and RTS Access (formerly Lift Line). Annual ridership for the RGRTA recently surpassed 18.4 million passengers, reaching a 20 year

high. Of $69.4 million allocated for the 2015 Capital Plan, $7.1M is for Preventative Maintenance, $21.6M for Rolling Stock, $32.6M for Facilities, $1.3M for Equipment, $5.8M for Transportation Technologies, & $1M for other projects. It projected that in 2015-2016, RGRTA will draw $28m in revenue from the fare box, and $42m from federal, state, and county subsidies.

56 - Joseph Robach* (Chair)

62 - George Maziarz

61 - Michael Razenhofer

59 - Patrick Gallivan

54 - Michael Nozzolio

57 - Catherine Young*

55 - Ted OBrien

RGRTA Counties:

RGRTA Senate Districts:

Rochester

Wolcott

Warsaw

Batavia

Medina

Dansville

AvonGeneva

Newark

Brockport

Geneseo

Orleans

Monroe

Livingston

Genese

Wyoming Seneca

Wayne

Bus

Rochester City Council

?Monroe County



?

12Holdovers/Total

10

2 2




White Female

In 2014 the NFTA sold the Buffalo Outer Harbor property to Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC). The ECHDC bought 354 acres from the NFTA for the cost of $2.00

In 2011 the NFTA spent over $8,000,000 in expanding parking at airport terminals

Of about $184.2 Million in operating expenses for the fiscal year 2015, $138.7 Million is spent on Personnel Services and $45.5 Million on other operating expenses

About $18.1 Million in funding is expected to be used on Non-Operating Expenses or Capital Projects for fiscal year 2015

Black/Latino/Asian

Who chooses the Board of Commissioners?


The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) provides transit service to Erie and Niagara county, which have a combined population of over 1.2 million people. Transit service provided by the NFTA includes Metro Bus, Metro Rail, and Paratransit Access Line (PAL). Ridership during fiscal year 2014 topped 25 million passengers. Additionally, the NFTA manages facilities and services at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, and Buffalo Boat Harbor. Of their $184.2 Million in operating

expenses for the fiscal year 2015, $131.3 in revenue is for Metro, $45.5 Million for the airports, and about $7.4 Million for other. Local advocates have raised concerns about NFTA expenditures, particularly in relation to the airport, which is not a resource for the transit-dependent population of the Buffalo region. Additional concerns have been raised about potential conflicts of interest regarding real estate holdings of NFTA Board members, and planning decisions that will increase property value along transit routes/stations.

NFTA (Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority)

61 - Michael Razenhofer*

62 - George Maziarz*

59 - Patrick Gallivan*

46 - Cecilia Tkaczky

63 - Timothy Kennedy*

NFTA Counties: NFTA Senate Districts:

East Aurora

Buffalo

Angola

Niagara Falls Lockport

Erie

Niagara

BusLRT

Erie C

ounty

Legisla

ture

Erie C

ounty

Execut

iveGovernor and

Senate confirm local recommendations

Governor makes own appointments


8

23

2Vacancies

11Total

Documents

RiderRep