OPINION: HOW TO BRING NEW YORKERS BACK TO THE SUBWAYS

Like much of our city’s public infrastructure, our transit system was devastated when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit New York. Riders fled the system in record numbers as the virus spread, ripping a hole in the MTA’s budget and leaving its future in doubt. Faced with a grim fiscal picture, transit officials floated the possibility of mass layoffs and draconian service cutbacks to ensure long-term solvency.

For the first time in its history, the 24 hours a day system that once ensured that New York City never slept, went dark in the early morning hours.