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A09415 Summary:

BILL NOA09415A
 
SAME ASSAME AS S08658-A
 
SPONSORMamdani (MS)
 
COSPNSRTapia, Simon, Bores
 
MLTSPNSRBichotte Hermelyn, Davila, Forrest, Gallagher, Gonzalez-Rojas, Mitaynes, Septimo, Shrestha
 
Add §1266-n, Pub Auth L
 
Enacts the "get congestion pricing right act"; directs the MTA to allocate $45 million to the MTA's bus system to increase frequency and reliability; directs the MTA to allocate $45 million to expand the fare-free bus pilot program within NYC; requires reporting on such investments.
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A09415 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A9415A
 
SPONSOR: Mamdani (MS)
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to enacting the "get congestion pricing right act"   PURPOSE: To improve the Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus system in anticipation of congestion pricing.   SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS: Section 1 sets the short title to be the "Get Congestion Pricing Right" Act. § 2 provides the legislative findings and intent. § 3 amends the public authorities law by adding a new section 1266-n. Subsection 1 provides $45,000,000 to the bus system to increase frequen- cy and reliability of buses. The section includes parameters for route selections, including that routes chosen must have capacity for more frequency absent infrastruc- ture changes. This section also includes reporting requirements upon receipt Of funding. Subsection 2 expands the fare free bus program to 15 new lines (three per borough) for one year, for a total of $45,000,000. The section specifies that the MTA must select routes according to: (a) service adequacy and equity for low-income and economically disadvan- taged communities and (b) access to employment and commercial activity in areas served by the fare-free routes. Each route selected must also meet a threshold of 20,000 daily riders at minimum. The section also includes reporting requirements upon receipt of fund- ing; survey requirements including quality of life questions and varied survey methods; a requirement to implement all-door boarding; and promo- tional requirements. § 4 relates to the effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: Ahead of congestion pricing's roll-out, we need to transform public transit, and better bus service is the key to getting congestion pricing right. Buses enable riders who live far from the subway to get to Manhattan and facilitate crosstown and inter-borough travel. Buses also need more investment if they are to attract more riders: - crawling at 8 mph on of bus riders are Moreover, improving buses was central to the successful implementation of congestion pricing elsewhere. Before London started congestion pric- ing, it increased bus service by 17% (4). As a result, congestion was reduced by 30% and bus travel in central London increased by 33% (5). This is also true in Stockholm, where expanded bus service led to congestion pricing success: traffic was reduced by 22% and public senti- ment towards the policy skyrocketed (6). We want to see these same results in NYC, but need to chart them now, through this legislation. Firstly, this bill allocates $45 million to increase bus service frequency and reliability, along with stipulations for route selection and reporting requirements. Secondly, the legis- lation allocates $45 million to expand the fare-free bus pilot, bringing three routes to each borough. These bus service investments will attract new riders - and increase ridership for the long term - making congestion pricing a success.   LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New Bill   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: $90 million cost to the State   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately. (1)https://www.nvtimes.com/2023/08/17/nvrection/eric-adams-buses- nyc.html?searchResultPosition=1 (2) https://www.amny.com/transit/nyc-buses-running-slowest-speeds -since-2019/ :-:text=Buses%20run%2Obv%20the%20MTA,8.3%20mph%20t he%20year%20before. (3) https://new.mta.info/document/115376 (4)https://www.vice.com/en/article/dv343v/new-vork-city-is-about -to-screw-up-congestion-pricing (5) Iattps://www.intelligenttransport.com/transport-news/143883/10 ndons-congestion-charge-celebrates-20-vears-of-success/ (6) https://www.sfcta.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/Concrestion% 20Pricing%20Case%20Studies%20200213%20-%20Stockholm.pdf MTA buses areth- eslowest in the nation(1) average(2)-andthey aren't reliable:38% dissa- tisfiedwithservice reliability(3).
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A09415 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         9415--A
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                     March 14, 2024
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  MAMDANI  --  Multi-Sponsored  by -- M. of A.
          BICHOTTE HERMELYN,   DAVILA,   FORREST,   GALLAGHER,   GONZALEZ-ROJAS,
          MITAYNES, SEPTIMO, SHRESTHA -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on  Corporations, Authorities and Commissions -- committee discharged,
          bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended  and  recommitted  to  said
          committee

        AN  ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to enacting the
          "get congestion pricing right act"
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.  Short  title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
     2  the "get congestion pricing right act".
     3    § 2. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby finds and
     4  declares the importance of  the  New  York  Metropolitan  Transportation
     5  Authority  (MTA)  and affirms the duty of the legislature to ensure that
     6  the MTA operates effectively. The MTA  provides  an  essential  service:
     7  transporting  millions  of New Yorkers on billions of trips each year to
     8  and from their places of work, worship, and gathering.  The  legislature
     9  further  finds  that,  as the MTA moves to implement congestion pricing,
    10  the MTA must also encourage the use of public transit as an  alternative
    11  by  providing  more frequent, reliable, and affordable service - partic-
    12  ularly bus service. The legislature finds that  bus  system  investments
    13  were  at  the core of London's successful congestion pricing implementa-
    14  tion and declares that New York must follow suit by investing in its own
    15  bus service prior to the implementation of congestion pricing to  better
    16  serve riders and attract riders for the long-term.
    17    §  3.  The  public  authorities law is amended by adding a new section
    18  1266-n to read as follows:
    19    § 1266-n. Bus service frequency  and  reliability  and  fare-free  bus
    20  expansion. 1. The authority shall allocate forty-five million dollars in
    21  state funds received to the authority's bus system to increase frequency
    22  and reliability.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14661-03-4

        A. 9415--A                          2
 
     1    (a)  Upon receipt of such funding the authority shall evaluate target-
     2  ing such investments according, but not limited, to increasing the reli-
     3  ability, frequency, and speed of the following:
     4    (i) feeder routes to subway stations;
     5    (ii) express buses into the central business district;
     6    (iii) buses that are chronically over capacity; and
     7    (iv) local and select buses.
     8    (b)  Routes  chosen  shall  have  capacity  for  more frequency absent
     9  infrastructure changes and priority shall be given to increasing service
    10  on the lines that are part of the fare-free bus pilot program.
    11    (c) The authority shall report on its route decisions  in  an  initial
    12  public  report  prior  to  the launch of such investments. The authority
    13  shall also report an evaluation of frequency and reliability outcomes of
    14  each selected route via two reports. The  first  such  report  shall  be
    15  completed no later than December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-four,
    16  and  the  second  such  report shall be completed no later than one year
    17  after the launch of such investments. Such outcome  reports  shall  also
    18  include  cost  and  schedule  projections  for each route funded by such
    19  increase.
    20    (d) Such  investments  shall  be  implemented  by  the  first  day  of
    21  congestion pricing's implementation.
    22    2.  The  authority  shall allocate forty-five million dollars in state
    23  funds received to expand the fare-free bus pilot program within the city
    24  of New York.
    25    (a) The fare-free bus pilot program expansion shall last for one year.
    26    (b) The fare-free bus pilot program  expansion  shall  consist  of  at
    27  least  fifteen  new  fare-free  bus  routes  and shall cost no more than
    28  forty-five million dollars in net operating costs. Net  operating  costs
    29  shall be determined by the total costs of implementing the fare-free bus
    30  pilot program expansion and shall not accrue to the city of New York.
    31    (c)  The  fare-free  bus  routes  included  in the fare-free bus pilot
    32  program expansion shall be selected by the authority,  and  may  include
    33  either  New York City Transit Authority or MTA bus routes, provided that
    34  there shall be at least three new fare-free bus routes  within  each  of
    35  the  following  counties:  Kings county, New York county, Queens county,
    36  Richmond county, and Bronx county.
    37    (d) The factors considered by the authority in  selecting  such  fare-
    38  free bus routes shall include but not be limited to:
    39    (i) service adequacy and equity for low-income and economically disad-
    40  vantaged communities; and
    41    (ii)  access  to employment and commercial activity in areas served by
    42  such fare-free routes.
    43    (e) Each route selected shall meet a minimum threshold of twenty thou-
    44  sand daily riders.
    45    (f) The authority shall report to its board on the fare-free bus pilot
    46  program expansion after it has been in  effect  for  three  months,  six
    47  months, and again upon the conclusion of the fare-free bus pilot program
    48  expansion.  Such  reports  shall  also be sent to the governor and every
    49  member of the state legislature and shall include, but  not  be  limited
    50  to, the following comparative performance metrics:
    51    (i)  ridership  totals  relative to equivalent time periods before the
    52  fare-free bus pilot program expansion took effect;
    53    (ii) percent of scheduled service delivered;
    54    (iii) average end-to-end bus speed changes;
    55    (iv) customer journey time performance;
    56    (v) additional bus stop time and travel time;

        A. 9415--A                          3
 
     1    (vi) wait assessments;
     2    (vii)  the cost to provide such service itemized by route; and
     3    (viii) scheduled service frequency.
     4    (g)  The authority shall also survey riders on the fare-free routes at
     5  the three-, six- and twelve-month marks  on  topics  including  but  not
     6  limited to:
     7    (i) overall rider satisfaction;
     8    (ii)  real  and  perceived  economic  benefit  experienced  by riders,
     9  including economic savings;
    10    (iii) experience of security and safety when riding the fare-free bus;
    11  and
    12    (vi) general demographic information including annual income,  vehicle
    13  access,  race  and  ethnicity,  disability  status,  age, and enrollment
    14  status in discount program. The authority shall also  include  questions
    15  from  the  UMKC  Center  for Economic Information survey research of the
    16  Kansas City  Area  Transportation  Authority's  (KCATA/RideKC)  ZeroFare
    17  program quality-of-life effects. Survey methods shall include in-person,
    18  phone and online.
    19    (h)  The  authority shall implement all-door boarding on all fare-free
    20  buses beginning the first day of the fare-free bus pilot program  expan-
    21  sion.
    22    (i)  The  authority  shall  promote  the  fare-free routes through the
    23  following methods at a minimum: signage on buses, signage at bus  stops,
    24  intersecting subway stops, announcement on the authority "fares & tolls"
    25  webpage,  digital advertisements on subways, and across MTA social media
    26  accounts.   Any messaging promoting  the  fare-free  routes  shall  also
    27  include messaging reminding riders that such program is on select routes
    28  and  that  such riders should treat their bus operators with respect and
    29  decorum.
    30    (j) The authority shall present the fare-free bus pilot program expan-
    31  sion to its board for approval no later than sixty days after the effec-
    32  tive date of this section, for implementation no later than ninety  days
    33  after board adoption.
    34    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
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