Rockaway Beach, New York – On February 6^th, 2020 at the Rockaway YMCA Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D- South Queens) will be hosting a Commuters Town Hall with MTA New York City Transit President Andy Byford.

“The purpose of this meeting is to give our commuters a voice,” Pheffer Amato said. “As I continue my #MassTransitMonday tours around my district – I hear about their numerous challenges, and journeys to and from work. My constituents’ daily commutes are some of the longest in the nation. That’s why I am so excited for them, and for us, to have this platform with President Byford. It is extremely important that our voices are heard, and challenges considered as the MTA moves forward with the modernization of our entire public transportation system. We must take full advantage of this opportunity.”

The national average for commuting in the United States is 26 minutes[1], but most Rockaway commuters face commute times of an hour or more,[2] provided that all public transit and roads are operating without any obstacles. The MTA has conducted several town halls over the last two years, but this will be their first in Rockaway.

During a recent #MassTransitMonday tour, Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato spoke with students from Far Rockaway at the Broad Channel subway station on their way to school to discuss why they take the subway from Far Rockaway as opposed to the local bus route.

Who: Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato
What: Hosting Commuters Town Hall with MTA New York City Transit President Andy Byford
When: Thursday February 6^th, 2020 at 7:00pm
Where: Rockaway YMCA, 207 Beach 73rd Street Arverne, NY 11692
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[1] https://nycfuture.org/data/fast-city-slow-commute#2

[2] https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF