New York subway passengers appear to be more concerned about safety than the possibility of getting infected with the Covid-19, according to a survey by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). in English).
Specifically, 72% of users say they are very concerned about “crime and harassment”, while 64% say they are concerned about their health security, 69% to wear a mask, 60% to the social distance and 55% for the cleaning of the wagons.
“The data from our customer survey could not be clearer: safety concerns are the most important for current passengers and for those looking to return to public transport. An overwhelming majority 76% of customers say seeing uniforms in the system makes them feel safer, “MTA spokesman Abbey Colling said in a statement to Efe.
The MTA has published this survey after the daily number of subway passengers exceeded two million users for the first time on April 8, a figure still well below the 5.5 million people who usually went by subway before. of the pandemic, but well above that of a year ago, when the number of passengers plummeted by 90%, due to the expansion of the Covid-19.
“We know that if our passengers feel safe from crime and safe from Covid, they will return to public transport and back to the city, and we are devoting all resources to continuously address these issues, to continue to break the milestones in the number of passengers day after day as New York reopens, ”Colling added.
In recent months, several attacks have been reported on stations and wagons on this means of transport.
The survey shows that user satisfaction with crime and harassment in wagons fell by 16% to 26% and at stations it has fallen by 8.2% to 34%.
As for former subway users, 36% say they have not returned to the subway because of their sense of insecurity from crime and harassment.
Vaccination in New York is progressing at a good pace, with a quarter of its inhabitants vaccinated, while authorities continue to favor the reopening of sectors and businesses that had remained closed until now.
Wedding halls, closed-door concerts or leisure and entertainment centers can now open their doors in the city, albeit with limited capacity, which has also contributed to the reactivation of public transport.