The No. 7 isn’t in danger of flunking out, but could probably use a tutor.
That’s the verdict of straphangers, who graded the line a dismal C- on New York City Transit’s first-ever rider report card, which was released yesterday.
In July, transit workers passed out 88,000 report cards to riders along the 7 train’s route. Roughly 16,000 mailed in their responses or filled them out online.
While a C- is not the kind of grade a student is proud of, NYC Transit President Howard Roberts said he was “not disappointed at all.”
“The purpose of the whole exercise is to find out what riders think,” he said.
The 7 train was the first line to get graded. Riders on the L and J/Z trains are now getting their turn. The whole system will be graded by Nov. 15.
The worst grades for the 7 were a D for space available during rush hour, and D+ for clear and informative announcements. Riders said the top three areas in need of improvement were rush-hour breathing room, delays, and wait times for trains.
These are the “thorniest issues” facing the No. 7 line, because it is already running at capacity, Roberts said.
Morning and evening commutes may be made less overcrowded by adding trains before and after rush hour, Roberts said.
As for the garbled announcements, Roberts said he is asking for more frequent inspections.
“Clearly, we are not doing a very good job of communicating,” he said.
While an A+ is “not in the constellation of the possible,” Roberts said he would like to see major improvements in the ratings for the 7 line by next year.
Some of the grades seem to run counter to the facts, Roberts said.
For example, riders gave the line a C for sense of security, but “the crime stats are very, very good,” Roberts said. “Never has there been a time – except maybe in 1905 – when there was less crime in the system.”
Roberts said he’s asked the NYPD to up police presence along the 7 train.
Since the line was slapped with a C- for cleanliness, Roberts said new cleaners would be added on the Manhattan side of the line. Currently, the trains are cleaned only when they reach the Queens end of the line in Flushing.
The bad grades differ from the ratings issued by the Straphangers Campaign, which ranked the No. 7 line third out of 22.