Passenger Counts on MTA Buses

Your Feb. 17 editorial (“MTA: A Vital Game of Numbers”) claims that the methods used by the MTA and the Bus Riders Union to count passengers using MTA buses are so inaccurate that it is no wonder that we can’t agree upon whether or not the consent decree’s objective for reduced crowding has been achieved. You conclude that counters should either ride the buses, or board them, to get more accurate results, and that an objective third party should be employed as a further means of ensuring accurate counts.

Actually, we have never disagreed on the numbers. Under the terms of an agreement reached last September, MTA has trained BRU staff to count passengers by the same methods used by MTA staff. Considerable analysis, information sharing and discussion lie ahead of us to determine in each case what is the best course of action to address high passenger loads.

Your suggestions would yield slight improvement in the accuracy of passenger counts at considerable cost. The primary benefit of assigning counters to a fixed location is that it requires substantially fewer people to get the type of information needed to determine consent decree compliance. We feel that the dollars would be better spent on providing service, especially when we don’t disagree on the results or the accuracy of existing counting methods.

HABIB F. BALIAN

MTA Co-Chair

ERIC MANN

BRU Co-Chair