Dear MTA,

Most mornings are ruined because of public transportation in New York City...because of the MTA. We wake, up, wish for a good day ahead of us and count on the trains and buses to get us to school or work on time. Nonetheless, thanks to the MTA, public transportation has always been there to ruin our Monday morning moods.

The fare for the MTA is ridiculously expensive, $2.75 is even more than a small cup of coffee in the city. Of course, as it is an alternative to cars, bikes, and whatnot--they're sure that commuters will never stop using public transportation.

The excuses are unreasonable, vague, and repetitive:

"We are being delayed because of train traffic"

"We are sorry for the inconvenience, we will be moving shortly"

We are tired of the excuses, we are tired of waking up three hours earlier than usual just to journey through an unnecessary struggle to complete what should be a 20-minute trip but actually takes 2-hours.

The MTA should either lower the fare prices to two dollars (or less, honestly) for the service quality we receive. The trains themselves, such as the hand poles and seats have not been cleaned for who knows how long. Some trains even lack a heating system when it's freezing cold outside.

And of course, it's quite insane to expect the trains to be cleaned excessively in a day, all I would appreciate is some clear indication that the train indeed has been cleaned recently...not ten years ago.

Although I understand that not everything runs perfectly in our daily lives, the MTA is a constant disappointment for all of us, especially if we have a more chaotic commute than others. Compared to public transportation systems in Europe, such as in England and France, New York's public transportation system is a step behind.

Maybe we can improve our public transportation system with stressing more precaution for passengers' safety by adding the protection sheet that automatically opens only when a train is at the station. This prevents passengers from falling onto the tracks. There can also be a strict cleaning rule that requires trains to be cleaned at least twice a day.

It's time to improve, not backtrack or be lazy about the MTA situation.

Kindly,

a daily passenger since 2011, Priska