Overnight Subway Service to Resume Amid Cleaning Concerns

As New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) prepares to resume 24/7 subway service on May 17, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo praised the cars’ cleanliness during the pandemic. However, the transit workers’ union is concerned that staffing shortages  will make it difficult to keep the subway cars clean around the clock, The City reports.

Representatives with the Transportation Workers Union Local 100 told The City the MTA’s cleaning crew has shrunk by nearly 9% from January 2019 due to a hiring freeze, retirements, and leaves of absence spurred by COVID-19. MTA employed 878 car cleaners in February which is 80 fewer than two years ago, according to reports obtained by The City. Contracts the MTA made with private cleaning companies at the beginning of the pandemic are set to expire on July 1, 2021, leaving the agency to rely solely on its employees.

The union believes MTA riders may be exposed to a “grime wave” as ridership grows.

“Mayor [Bill de Blasio] is talking about a 100% reopening of the city and there’s no talk of hiring cleaners,” said Matt Ahern, a chair with the union’s division for car equipment. “It’s ridiculous, especially with overnight service coming back.”

Meredith Daniels, an MTA spokesperson, told The City that the agency has worked with its labor partners to extend the cleaning contractors agreements. “We’re going to continue to make sure that we get the system as clean as it needs to be for riders,” she said.