In mid-March, Phil Plotch published a new book called The Last Subway: The Long Wait for the Next Train in New York City. The former transit planner-turned-political science professor has penned the definitive book on the history of the Second

Episode 11 (MTA's COVID-19 Financial Crisis with Nicole Gelinas)

Mar 18th, 2020

Over the past week, subway ridership has dropped by 60%, and the MTA is suddenly staring into the abyss of a multi-billion-dollar hole in a budget as the COVID-19 public health crisis has put New York City on near-lockdown. As trains and buses

Episode 10 (Transit News with Jose Martinez)

Mar 12th, 2020

It's been a busy few weeks in NYC transit as coronavirus has descended upon the city amidst the fallout from Andy Byford's departure and the ongoing MTA Transformation effort. Jose Martinez, a long-time veteran of the transit beat and current s

Episode 9 (Kickmap with Eddie Jabbour)

Dec 26th, 2019

Subway maps land in the hot seat in this episode as Eddie Jabbour, the creator the Kickmap, joins me for a wide-ranging conversation on all things design. Jabbour and I discuss the elements of subway map design, what the MTA's current map gets

Episode 8 (Steven Higashide/Better Buses Better Cities)

Oct 31st, 2019

Buses are in the spotlight this week as Steven Higashide, TransitCenter's direct of research, joins me to talk about the 14th St. Busway, New York City's bus redesign efforts, and the lessons from his new book Better Buses, Better Cities: How t

Episode 7 (Sarah Feinberg/MTA Board)

Oct 16th, 2019

Sarah Feinberg, the former head of the Federal Railroad Administration and current MTA Board member, joins me to discuss her experiences in Washington and her views on what's going right and what's going wrong with the MTA. With the $51 billion

Episode 6 (Doug Gordon/BrooklynSpoke)

Aug 20th, 2019

Doug Gordon, the man behind @BrooklynSpoke and co-host of The War on Cars podcast, joins me to discuss how transit advocates, pedestrian safety activists and cycling proponents are all fighting the same fight against the primacy of cars in New

Episode 5 (OMNY with MTA's Al Putre)

Jun 21st, 2019

OMNY arrives with a bang, as the MTA has rolled out its open-loop tap-and-go fare payment technology that will replace the MetroCard. But what exactly does this fare payment system of the future do? And when will New Yorkers get their unlimited

Episode 4 (Rachael Fauss/Reinvent Albany)

May 16th, 2019

Rachael Fauss, Senior Research Analyst at Reinvent Albany, discusses "Open MTA," the good governance group's call for MTA reform and accountability. Fauss discusses the report, which details how Andrew Cuomo and the state government could overh

Episode 3 (Aaron Gordon)

Apr 24th, 2019

Aaron Gordon, author of the "Signal Problems" transit newsletter, stops by to discuss the ins and outs and ups and downs of covering the MTA as he prepares to retire the gig. We talk rumors about a rift between Andy Byford and Andy Cuomo, the c

Episode 2 (John Raskin)

Apr 10th, 2019

John Raskin, head of the Riders Alliance, discusses congestion pricing and the role his grassroots transit advocacy played in winning the 11-year fight for a traffic fee that will fund transit in New York City.