Res 0108-2022

Whereas, In 2018, The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) began the Atlantic Ticket pilot program that allowed riders from Southeast Queens and Brooklyn to buy discounted tickets for travel at select stations of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR); and Whereas, Riders who purchase the discounted Atlantic Ticket can travel to and from the following ten LIRR stations: Jamaica, Hollis, Queens Village, Locust Manor, St. Albans, Laurelton, Rosedale, Atlantic Terminal, Nostrand Avenue, and East New York; and Whereas, Currently, The Atlantic Ticket offers riders the option of buying either a one-way ticket good for travel on LIRR between any of the eligible stations at a cost of $5 or a weekly ticket, that also includes a 7-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard for subway and local bus rides, at a cost of $60; and Whereas, The COVID-19 pandemic has had a deleterious effect on the region's public transit system with ridership down across the board, including on the LIRR which lost 76 percent of its regular riders during the height of pandemic; and Whereas, According to recent data published by the MTA, the LIRR had a total estimated ridership of 158,200 on February 28, 2022, a number that represents 54 percent of the 2019 monthly average for weekday, Saturday and Sunday travel figures; and Whereas, Some Transit advocates have called on the MTA to expand the existing Atlantic Ticket pilot to every commuter rail station in the city as a way to increase mass transit ridership, provide faster commutes for the residents living near the commuter rail lines, and generate additional revenue for the agency; and Whereas, According to a 2018 report from the New York State Comptroller's Office, 90 percent of the residents living in the Rockaways worked outside of the area and had the longest commute times in the city with an average length of 52 minutes; and Whereas, The Atlantic Ticket pilot has allowed some residents of Southeast Queens and Brooklyn who would normally not ride the LIRR to experience faster commutes on the commuter rail line; and Whereas, A report recently published by the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA indicates that since the implementation of the Atlantic Ticket in June 2018 through June 2021, more than two million tickets have been sold, generating nearly $16 million in revenue for the LIRR; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York, calls on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to expand and make permanent the Atlantic Ticket pilot in order to include Far Rockaway, and other stations along the LIRR corridor, in the fare affordability program. RA LS #7377 4/4/2022