USDOT, FTA, MTA participate in roundtable to discuss needs, concerns of transit users of Asian decent

Federal transportation and transit leaders met with members of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA & NHPI) communities on Oct. 24 to discuss the rider experience of riders of Asian decent on New York City’s transit system.

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Administrator Nuria Fernandez, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY-6) and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chair and CEO Janno Lieber participated in the roundtable discussion. Seven AA & NHPI community organizations and a representative of the President’s Advisory Commission on AA & NHPI were also part of the roundtable. The community organizations highlighted the attacks riders of Asian decent have experienced on MTA’s network.

Participants recognized the importance of transit to AA & NHPI communities, providing access to jobs, education, community and services. They also shared the experiences of their members targeted by anti-Asian hate, as well as their ideas for addressing crime and improving safety on transit.

New York City Police Department crime dashboard data shows there has been nearly a 42 percent increase in reported incidents on transit property in 2022. According to data from the New York Police Department Hate Crimes Task Force, there were 297 total incidents with bias motivation in New York City in the first half of the year. Nearly 12.5 percent of those incidents were found to have anti-Asian bias as their motivation and include the death of Michelle Go, who was pushed in front of a train in January and an attack on an Asian man with a hammer at a subway station in March.

“Reports of attacks on New York City’s trains and buses, and high-profile incidents such as the tragic death of Michelle Go and the mass shooting at a Brooklyn subway station, have rattled New Yorkers – including many Queens residents – and continues to leave them fearful as they navigate our transit system,” said Rep. Meng. “This violence is completely unacceptable, and it is particularly damaging in our public transit spaces. All New Yorkers deserve to have peace of mind when using public transportation to go to work, school or when traveling to see family and friends. Combating these crimes must continue to be a top priority at all levels of government. We will not tolerate or accept these threats to public safety. As I have said, we must never take a backseat to safety, and do all we can to keep people out of harm’s way. I thank Secretary Buttigieg and Administrator Fernandez for coming to New York City to address this urgent concern, and I thank MTA Chairman and CEO Lieber for taking part in this crucial discussion.”

Community representatives expressed a need for more multi-lingual signage and information, as well as increased funding and services to support mental healthcare and unhoused population needs. They also expressed the importance of communities of color working together to combat hate crimes, ignorance, and bias on public transportation.

USDOT and FTA recognize safe and reliable public transportation is essential to advancing equity, justice and opportunity for all. This roundtable was the first in a series of planned discussions around the nation to help USDOT and FTA better understand local perceptions of public transit by AA & NHPI riders and identify potential solutions to better meet the needs of these communities.