MTA trains its anger at subway Web site

[Trainspotter 0]

The MTA has found yet another way to make riding the subways more miserable.

 

On top of fare hikes and service cuts, it's now dumping on "MTA service specialists," four women who voluntarily ride the rails to help straphangers get around quicker and happier.

 

Why?

 

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority thinks the smiling women in their 1940s-style stewardess uniforms are giving riders the idea that the MTA is actually improving service, said specialist Kiki Valentine.

 

MTA lawyers filed a cease-and-desist order Tuesday giving the volunteers 72 hours to remove a video and make other changes on their Web site, http://www.mtaservice.org, which the MTA says makes unfair use of the agency's "intellectual property."

 

Valentine said the site mostly consists of the MTA logo.

 

She said her group was "shocked" by the MTA's "aggressive and intimidating" action because it endangers "our free service improvements during a time when New Yorkers need us the most."

 

"We hope to continue to spread the message that despite this $1.2 billion deficit, it doesn't cost a single penny to give better service."

 

Valentine, a radio-television producer and writer, added, "Our goal is to partner with the MTA to provide service changes they can't afford. After all, the journey is just as important as the destination."

 

The specialists until recently have been riding subway lines around the city for about 10 hours a week.

 

"We give people information on how to get to places like Port Authority or Penn Station. We help women with strollers. If a rider has a package on a seat, we encourage them to remove it so a pregnant woman or an elderly person can sit," Valentine said.

 

She added, "The idea is that we can all improve our rides if we aren't being jerks to each other."

 

The specialists aren't in the subways right now because they've taken some time off to redesign their uniforms to keep the MTA happy.

 

"But we will definitely be back," Valentine vowed.

 

The MTA could not be reached for comment.

 

 

 

BY Leo Standora

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

March 26th 2009

[Jah 0]

This doesn't surprise me at all. The MTA is a company that doesn't care about its customers or blue collar employees. What they care about is stealing our money and lying about on time performance.

[INDman 414]

This is the same crap the pulled on Line Bagels near the Smith-9th Street Station (the guys that own the bagle store bought alot of signs from the MTA, well over $1000 worth) and with MTH (the company that made O scale subway cars).

[S78 via Hylan 1,085]

What does this have to do with improving the subways?:confused: I like the ladies, but they aren't really helping in any way.

[RokuSix 3]

It's cute, but I think it's a pointless and anachronistic idea. What can they actually do to make things better?

[metsfan 2]

Insulting.

 

- A

[duelingdragons 0]

The girls are hot, but its funny how the is treating this as if it were a joke.

 

Give me a break.

[Jah 0]

What does this have to do with improving the subways?:confused: I like the ladies, but they aren't really helping in any way.

 

 

It doesn't really matter if they are actually helping or not.

 

What matters is that with all of the major problems the MTA is dealing with right now they still have time and money to intimidate and bully the little guy!

[FriedChikkin 160]

I think if they were more careful with their wording there wouldn't be such trouble... otherwise they seem to present themselves as employees of the MTA and most people that ride the trains aren't exactly rocket scientists as is.

 

If they'd stated something more along the lines of "Hi, we're from mtaservice dot org... thanks for riding with MTA, NYC Transit..." or somehow made it clear to a lay person that they're not MTA employees this perhaps wouldn't have happened.

[mark1447 685]

This video was very funny lol, and yes the Really doesnt care at all, i be right now sandors and the rest are in there big vault enjoying the hidden cash. SHows me how much the doesnt care. To bad the NYCTA isnt private~

 

Plus the should be complaing about the womans, they have freedom of speech, respect what others say geez! They have a right to speak damn it and poke at the .

 

BTW this movie was created last yr, so im confused on this news articles history

[BrooklynBus 1,315]

I think what they are doing is great. But the MTA is correct because they are infringing on their intellectual property. However, rather insisting that they cease and desist, the MTA should welcome them with open arms because their motive is so good. They should just insist that they clearly identify themselves as not being employees of the MTA and place a rather obvious disclaimer on their website like subchat does, and that they are not affiliated with the MTA in any way. Instead they designed their website to mimic the MTA's to intentionally mislead people. They even provide a subway map tab that hooks into the real MTA site rather than stating it is a link to that site.

 

Instead of appreciating their efforts, the MTA views them instead with hostility because they are doing something that the MTA would never spend money on, improving relations with customers because the MTA never saw their purpose as serving the cusomer. Their primary focus is and has always been their financial situation.

[MTR Admiralty 4]

What a disgrace. They can't improve the subway and now they are telling the people who are telling the truth to shut up. Besides, these women used data from their own trips. They didn't steal information from the MTA board, per se.

 

The hell with the MTA.

[rockdove 0]

Sorry to pull this up a year later, but it looks like the website is still here. It comes with message about "we are not affiliated with the MTA" which may not have been there originally.

 

Also, it seems like this 'service specialists' concept was a only a one-day joke kind of thing.

[Bill from Maspeth 1,958]

$1.2 billion dollar deficit?

 

 

This deficit gets higher and higher every time I breathe!

[Ridgewoodian 0]

Well, I can see why the MTA would not want a bunch of people not affiliated with them acting as if they were and maybe getting people to believe that they were.

 

That said, this seems like a great idea. I'd love to see more (young, beautiful, female) "service specialists" in the system.

[Kamen Rider 2,874]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[gregorygrice 17]

The needs to stop wasting their time on these stupid law suits and focus on getting out of their $706 million debt:mad:. As long as they're not endangering themselves or entering restricted areas they should be fine. They paid the $2.25 to ride the subway, so let them do what they want as long as they obey the rules.

[EE Broadway Local 18]

Maybe the Service Specialists are only trying to be of help.

[Bill from Maspeth 1,958]

The needs to stop wasting their time on these stupid law suits and focus on getting out of their $706 million debt:mad:. As long as they're not endangering themselves or entering restricted areas they should be fine. They paid the $2.25 to ride the subway, so let them do what they want as long as they obey the rules.

Whoa!

 

What are your trying to do, advocate all those lawyers employed by the TA to lose their jobs?

 

Between lawyers and consulatants, no wonder why the place is broke!