Thomas Prendergast Speaks at the CATS Roundtable Radio Show

Interview Highlights

“Ridership is surging…bus ridership is relatively flat, but the rail side has grown substantially….putting tremendous demands on the system.”

We are trying to “enhance the ridership experience, expand the system with new construction” to serve more parts of the city that have not been served by the MTA.

NYC has only committed $657 million to the MTA. We are in “active discussions” with the city to increase that commitment.

About Thomas Prendergast

Chairman Thomas Prendergast was named president of NYC Transit in November 2009 and served as interim executive director of the MTA from January 1, 2013 until his appointment as chairman and chief executive officer was confirmed by the New York State Senate on June 20, 2013. Mr. Prendergast has earned the respect of the city’s business community, the MTA’s labor union, and mass-transit advocates, a feat that most observers would have considered impossible to achieve. The big challenge of the MTA now is the need for a fully-funded Capital Program. Governor Cuomo has committed to invest $8.3B for the next five years, but the City is balking at a request for a $3.2B contribution – the City has agreed to only $657M. The MTA is the circulatory system of our city, carrying over 8.7 million passengers a day.