MTA opens first dedicated Customer Service Centers

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) opened its first-ever dedicated Customer Service Center in the subway system at the Coney Island-Stillwell Av station, which includes an agent window with OMNY functionality, digital monitors displaying service status updates, MetroCard vending machines and online kiosks for customers to access MTA websites. Coney Island-Stillwell Av is one of three Customer Service Centers opening, along with Atlantic Av-Barclays Center and 161 St-Yankee Stadium. Twelve additional Customer Service Centers in all five boroughs will be opening over the course of 2023.

“It drove me crazy when I found out that many transactions could only be done at the Stone Street facility next to MTA headquarters in Lower Manhattan,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “That may be convenient for MTA staff, but it’s not for our customers. We are determined to bring service closer to riders in every borough and opening the first 15 Customer Service Centers is a big step in that direction.”

“Bringing service to the stations that riders use every day is a physical demonstration of the North Star commitment at New York City Transit (NYC Transit) to the customer experience,” said NYC Transit President Richard Davey. “Modern, welcoming, and accessible Customer Service Centers will bring real benefits to riders, especially as we continue to transition to OMNY.”

“The grand opening of Customer Service Centers is a win for the millions of daily riders who rely on the subway to get around,” said MTA Acting Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. “Along with bringing station agents out of the booth, these centers will make transit more convenient and accessible for customers, especially as we encourage riders to tap and go with OMNY. We believe in bringing customer service into the communities riders live and work in. By the end of the year, customers will be able to access these services at 15 stations in all five boroughs.”

“Customer Service Centers are a game changer for the more than one million reduced-fare customers across New York City,” said MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo. “As reduced-fare riders continue to make the switch to tap-and-go convenience with OMNY, these centers will bring many of the vital, in-person services previously available at 3 Stone St. and Mobile Sales Vans to more neighborhoods where customers live in and travel to.”

The MTA and Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 announced the Customer Service Centers in December. The Customer Service Center model builds on the announcement from the authority and the TWU of the enhanced station agent role, with station agents supporting customer needs outside of the booth.

Customer Service Centers will be staffed by station agents as part of the enhanced role and located within the physical premises of subway stations, either through new build-out spaces or repurposed station booths. These centers will provide services historically provided exclusively at 3 Stone St. in Lower Manhattan. The centers will be comprised of repurposed booths and new retail outlets and feature enhanced accessibility, OMNY technology and a dedicated, more welcoming visual presentation for customers through new lighting, branded wrapping and canopies.

Station agents working at Customer Service Centers will be able to assist customers with switching to OMNY, including reduced-fare customers, and soon, will provide applications for the reduced-fare program. Additionally, Customer Service Centers will provide information about how to submit complaints, receive updates and information on travel delays and act as a resource to assist with wayfinding through the transit system. Agents at the centers will receive dedicated training on OMNY equipment, as well as dedicated customer service functions that will be provided at these locations, which will be staffed by station agents 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Following the first three Customer Service Centers opening in February, additional centers will open in 2023 at the following stations:

• Street George
• 34 St–Penn Station
• Flushing--Main Street
• Fulton Street
• Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenue
• 74 St.–Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Ave.
• E. 180 St.
• 125 St.
• Fordham Road
• Times Square–42 St.
• Sutphin Blvd–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport
• 168 St.