As noted in the press, NYC Transit has been passing out “rider report cards” on its subway lines to gauge customer satisfaction. Most TSTC staffers happen to be NYC Transit customers as well. So how satisfied are we? The second in a series of answers to that question comes from policy advocate and Bronx resident Veronica Vanterpool, who gives the 5 train a grade of F.

Riding the #5 train from the Bronx makes a daily commuter want to find a job outside of Manhattan. Station managers and attendants along the line are clueless, the trains are ridiculously crowded, service downtown is suspended (and riders are stranded) at least 5 times a month, and delays are frequent.

I take the 8:10 #5 at Gun Hill Road that comes from its starting point, Dyre Avenue, 3 stations north. Immediately upon entering the station, you realize how much attention this station needs. I walk into an 80’s snapshot: drab, beige paint that dulls the senses, colorful artwork courtesy of “john wayne” the local graffiti artist, and 2 flashing light bulbs located in the right uppermost corner of the station, where I am sure everyone can see them, that inform straphangers of approaching trains. One bulb blinks for the train coming “from city”; the other “to city.” The whole city has graduated to a red LED display, but we in the Bronx rely on bulbs. This embarrassing alert is not even environmentally friendly–no CFL bulbs here.

I head down the stairs because there is no other way down to the platform. Definitely not ADA compliant. . I usually get an early clue as to how bad my commute will be depending on the amount of passengers on the platform. On a normal morning, there are probably about 500-750 people between any 5 minute interval waiting for the train downtown. When I see riders about 6 people deep from the platform edge, I know one of the following is about to happen:

• I will make it 3 stops south to 180th Street (a connecting spot for the #2 train) and then kicked off my train without explanation. This will happen as the passengers are trapped on the soon-to-be-suspended #5 watching the closing doors of the less-than-full #2 train across the platform. And it will happen without a warning of impending doom from my conductor.
• I will get to 180th Street and will be told the #5 and #2 (one an east side line and one a west) are suspended because of signal problems, police activity, or a sick passenger. This happens about 5 times a month. All 6,000 of us who are stranded are advised to take the bus.
• I will be on a #5 train that has crawled past 6 stops in 25 minutes.
• The train will go local making all 7 stops eliminated on the Bronx morning express, adding 12 minutes onto my commute.
• I will sit on the #5 train express track and watch 3 or more #2 trains progress speedily alongside us on the local track.
• I will get to 149th Street and Grand Concourse (another transfer hub), get kicked off the train because there is no Lexington Avenue service and told that I must take the #4 train, another Lexington Avenue line.
• Or–as happened all in one morning–my 8:10 train will be delayed, I will be kicked off at 180th because of signal problems, get on another 5 train which is slow to 149th because of a prior police investigation, get to 149th and be kicked off because of a sick passenger. And then finally when a #5 train does come, it will run on the #2 line on the west side.

However, the conductor on the 8:10 train is a rare treat. He is famous for sayings like “Ladies and gentleman, beware of pick-pockets. The season of giving is year-round and you are Santa Claus. Please do not carry your wallets in your back pocket and hold onto your purses.” He often brings a smile to my face as he wishes us a safe trip and a good day.

All announcements made on the train are, if not understood, at least clear and audible. Not one of us understands why we are not advised and forewarned about the problems awaiting us by station attendants and managers BEFORE we start our commute. For goodness sake, we board the train at the beginning of the line! Problems are known before trains are dispatched out of Dyre Avenue–a mere 3 stops (7 minutes) ahead. Why then, are we the last ones to know what is going on, often when it is too late to seek out feasible alternatives (not competing with 5,999 others for a seat on the bus) to get to work on time?

I witness firsthand the dire circumstances facing our mass transit system and am relieved to know that ideas, such as congestion pricing, can channel millions of dollars in revenue into improving and expanding public transit. That means less crowded trains, fewer delays, improved communication with the public, and perhaps, one day, a pleasant commute to work.

And don’t even get me started on my commute home…