Rockaway Park Shuttle Fails Miserably!
Not the Rockaway Park Shuttle but a shuttle train nonetheless! Resized photo courtesy of Eye On Transit
Unfortunately for the MTA, the Rockaway Park Shuttle could not match the successful grade earned by its fellow shuttle counterpart, the Times Square-Grand Central shuttle. The Rockaway Park Shuttle earned a horrific overall grade of a D+. Now it is time to breakdown the full results.
Top 10 priorities that 42nd Street 
train riders’ would like to see improvement on:
01. Reasonable wait times for trains
02. Minimal delays during trip
03. Cleanliness of stations
04. Sense of security in stations
05. Cleanliness of subway cars
06. Sense of security on trains
07. Lack of scratchitti in subway cars
08. Train announcements that are easy to hear
09. Station announcements that are easy to hear
10. Working elevators and escalators in stations
Now here is the entire order of 42nd Street train riders’ priorities:
01. Reasonable wait times for trains
02. Minimal delays during trip
03. Cleanliness of stations
04. Sense of security in stations
05. Cleanliness of subway cars
06. Sense of security on trains
07. Lack of scratchitti in subway cars
08. Train announcements that are easy to hear
09. Station announcements that are easy to hear
10. Working elevators and escalators in stations
11. Adequate room on board at rush hour
12. Station announcements that are informative
13. Lack of graffiti in stations
14. Comfortable temperature in subway cars
15. Train announcements that are informative
16. Courtesy and helpfulness of station personnel
17. Availability of MetroCard Vending Machines
18. Ease of use of subway turnstiles
19. Signs in stations that help riders find their way
20. Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way
21. Lack of graffiti in subway cars
Now here is the graded breakdown of all 21 categories:
Minimal delays during trips C-
Reasonable wait times for trains D
Adequate room on board at rush hour B-
Sense of security in stations C-
Sense of security on trains C-
Working elevators and escalators in stations D+
Signs in stations that help riders find their way C
Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way C-
Cleanliness of stations D+
Cleanliness of subway cars C-
Station announcements that are easy to hear D+
Station announcements that are informative D+
Train announcements that are easy to hear C-
Train announcements that are informative C-
Lack of graffiti in stations C-
Lack of graffiti in subway cars C-
Lack of scratchitti in subway cars D+
Courtesy and helpfulness of station personnel C-
Comfortable temperature in subway cars C
Ease of use of subway turnstiles C+
Availability of MetroCard Vending Machines B-
I rarely ride this shuttle so my comments are based on my limited experience of riding it. I think the number one priority is deadly accurate. When I have taken this shuttle, it felt like I was waiting forever for it to show up. The time of day one rode the shuttle did not seem to matter as far as waiting times were concerned.
One felt like they were waiting forever whether it was 8 a.m. 1 p.m. or 9 p.m. This is something that the MTA should look into as such inadequate service defeats the point of having a shuttle. Here is a link to the thread I posted on the Straphangers Campaign’s Rider Diaries forum about the shuttle’s report card grade. Based on the initial responses, it seems that the line was accurately graded.
The last thing I will leave you with is the amount of responses the MTA received for this report card. Drum roll please………. the total amount of responses received was 132! How absolutely pathetic is that? I should not be surprised considering the highest used shuttle, the Times Square-Grand Central shuttle only received 380. I think the funniest thing for me is how the MTA worded their acknowledgment in the opening paragraph for these results. Here is what they wrote:
Your Rider Report Card results are in.
First, let me acknowledge you for your enthusiastic participation. We asked for your opinion, and 132 of you responded – that’s outstanding. Thank you.
I felt the sarcasm oozing out of my monitor after reading that. I give kudos to Howard H Roberts Jr. if he really came up with that opener. If it was not him, I will extend the kudos to whomever it was. Either way I can always appreciate some great sarcasm especially when it is deserved.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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