The New York City Subways' Motormans' Rant by Torin Reid

Author:Torin Reid [Reid, Torin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781728338149
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Published: 2019-12-03T05:00:00+00:00

The Workers that you are Likely to See Within the Subways

Once, while on vacation out in California, I was riding one of the light rail lines in the San Jose area, checking out how they did things. Don’t get me wrong, that was not the only reason I was out there, but I did spend some time on the light rail system. Anyway, I saw a sign that said “How to ride the train”. When I read that sign, I burst out laughing. “How stupid can people be out here?”, I thought. But, with that sign, the light rail system took out the time to “enlighten” most members of the area’s population by printing the signs in Spanish and Vietnamese as well, about the basics of buying tickets and riding the train. After that good belly laugh, I went on about my business.

Over the years, I have thought about that day, from time to time. I have come to realize that most people don’t give much thought to using public transit. For most people, using public transit is slightly more complicated than using a public elevator.

The act of paying your fare, and getting yourself to the right platform and then waiting is done without much thought. But now, let us talk about New York. In New York, of course, nothing is as simple as it seems to be. But instead of telling you “how to ride the train” (I still chuckle a little as I write this) I want to tell you a little about the transit workers that you are likely to see when you go onto the subway system. After all, many New Yorkers know little about the transit workers around them (the conductor does not drive the train!), even after years of using the subway. So, let me do what they did out West, and enlighten you. Here is a rundown on the workers you are likely to see within the subway.

The Station Agent – is the person within the token booth (I know, the old name) who refills or sells you a new Metrocard. Sometimes, you can get basic directions from them, or you can get current information about the status of the trains and how they are running. I say sometimes because not all of the booths have a radio scanner or receive information in a timely manner. Some booths seem to depend upon a Stations Department supervisor to get information to them. That said, pay attention to the whiteboard that hangs within most token booths. In some of the larger stations, there are some Station Agents who roam around the station to give info to more people. Many token booths have been removed in the last 10 or so years, having been replaced by machines.

Car Cleaner – This person’s job is to clean out arriving trains at a terminal (last stop). The car cleaners are supposed to remove all of the trash and newspapers and, when necessary, blood, vomit, and excrement. It is likely

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