It happens to every New Yorker, the inevitable frustrations that come with commuting aboard an MTA train or bus. Despite having one of the most robust subway systems in the world, New York City has been plagued by a deterioration in service that parallels the lack of modernization of one of the world’s oldest subway systems. Add to that the above ground traffic snarls that grinds bus service to a walking pace, and city and state leadership whose only credible contribution seems to be passing the proverbial buck, and it’s easy to understand commuter’s daily tweets of rage towards the NYC Transit system.

But after hitting a new on-time performance low of just 58.1 percent in January of 2018, things seemed to be on the upswing with NYC Transit President Andy Byford manning the ship. January of 2020 saw 83.3 percent of weekday trains arrive on time, their best performance in seven years. It was also the month that Byford handed in his resignation after learning his duties would be scaled back amidst a power struggle with Governor Andrew Cuomo. And while most of the improvements can be attributed to Byford’s “Save Safe Seconds Campaign” and a commitment to transparent communication with the public, the real test will be the looming overhaul of the subway signal system and the Queens and Brooklyn busway redesigns. Both of which have been approved in the MTA’s 2020-2024 capital plan, but funding remains in question as threats of service cuts and fair hikes linger.

So we brought in a few people to help answer those questions.

Senior Reporter at The CITY and seasoned transit expert Jose Martinez, Streetsblog reporter Dave Colon, and rapper / public transportation rider in three metropolises Fat Tony—who joined us fresh off the release of his fifth studio album, Wake Up—all came by to discuss our favorite punching bag. From political footballs to Tony’s Thrift Haul plans for the MTA, we give you plenty to digest while you’re waiting out your next commuting delay.

“To their credit, they’ve committed in the next capital plan to making 66 more stations accessible to people with disabilities. Let’s see if that actually happens, but it’s a really good commitment and it’s something Andy Byford pushed for.” —Jose Martinez on Nothing Urgent [33:00 ]

“Wake Up is definitely about having fun. For me, as an artist, I think humor is important. I do try to have fun and put humor into all my shit, but behind all that is a purpose.” —Fat Tony on Nothing Urgent [11:08 ]