Transit and Transparency Advocates Ask Governor Hochul to Sign MTA Open Data Act

Law Requires MTA to Publish Most Data Online, Would Increase Transparency of $18B Transit Agency

Eighteen transit, open government and disability groups wrote Governor Kathy Hochul and asked her to sign the MTA Open Data Act, A1442-B/S4625-A, into law. 

Though it applies only to the MTA, the legislation codifies Executive Order (EO) 95 of 2013, which defines “public data” and requires it to be published on the state’s open data portal, http://data.ny.gov. The groups say the bill is a common-sense way to increase transparency and improve efficiency at the state’s largest public authority. 

The Governor “called” the bill earlier this week, requesting that it be sent to her by the Legislature for her consideration. The bill was passed in June under the leadership of Senator Leroy Comrie and Assemblymember Robert Carroll, the sponsors of the legislation.

The MTA is a massive agency that serves millions of riders every day, and has an $18 billion operating budget. However, the MTA has only published 76 datasets on the state’s open data portal, compared to the NYS Department of Health’s 563 datasets. While the MTA has made strides in releasing real-time service data to third parties like Google, open data related to contracts and finances has lagged and financial information is largely provided in inaccessible PDFs.

By putting EO 95 into law, the MTA’s open data process will be subject to greater legislative and public oversight. Within 180 days, the MTA must create a schedule for publishing all of its “public data” in the next three years. The groups noted that New York City has been a pioneer in open data, and a key contributor to NYC’s success has been the legislative mandate and robust oversight undertaken by the City Council. 

The full letter is available here and below. 

Kathy Hochul

Governor, State of New York

Re: Please Sign A1442B (Carroll)/S4625A (Comrie), the MTA Open Data Act, to Increase Transparency and Efficiency

Dear Governor Hochul,

Our groups ask that you sign A1442B (Carroll)/S4625A (Comrie), the MTA Open Data Act, into law. The legislation codifies Executive Order (EO) 95 of 2013 for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), and is a common-sense step to increase transparency and improve efficiency at the largest state public authority. 

The MTA is a massive agency that serves millions of riders every day, and has an $18 billion operating budget. However, the MTA has only published 76 datasets on the state’s open data portal. In contrast, the NYS Department of Health currently has 563 datasets on the portal. While the MTA has made strides in releasing real-time service data to third parties like Google, open data related to contracts and finances has lagged and financial information is largely provided in inaccessible PDFs.

The bill defines publishable data and requires the MTA to designate a data coordinator to oversee compliance, as required by EO 95. Within 180 days, the MTA must create a schedule for release of open data in the next three years, which is provided to the Legislature and the public, increasing public accountability of EO 95’s requirements. Receipt of this schedule will allow the Legislature to conduct better oversight of MTA data disclosure and more closely monitor the authority’s compliance with the law. In turn, this will provide greater public transparency of the MTA’s operations.

New York City has been a pioneer in open data, and a key contributor to its success has been the legislative mandate and robust oversight undertaken by the City Council, which regularly holds hearings on implementation. Additionally, the City Council has updated the law several times to strengthen it. With the MTA newly required to report to the State Legislature and public, it will be easier to hold the authority accountable for publishing open data, as seen in New York City.

We look forward to the MTA embracing the requirements of the MTA Open Data Act and reinvigorating its efforts to publish open data, and again ask that you sign A1442/S4625A to strengthen public accountability of the MTA’s open data implementation.

Sincerely,

John Kaehny
Executive Director
Reinvent Albany

Noel Hidalgo
Executive Director
BetaNYC

Joseph G. Rappaport
Executive Director
Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID)

Andrew Rein
President
Citizens Budget Commission

Susan Lerner
Executive Director
Common Cause NY

Jean Ryan
President
Disabled In Action of Metropolitan NY

Anne-Elizabeth Straub & Brandon Heinrich,
Co-Coordinators,
Transportation Equity Working Group,
Downstate New York ADAPT

Laura Ladd Bierman
Executive Director
League of Women Voters of New York State

Todd Fettig
Executive Director
National Freedom of Information Coalition

Christopher Schuyler
Senior Staff Attorney, Disability Justice Program
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest

Blair Horner
Executive Director
NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign

Diane Kennedy
President
New York News Publishers Association

Lisa Daglian
Executive Director
Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC)

Brian Fritsch
Manager, Advocacy Campaigns
Regional Plan Association

Betsy Plum
Executive Director
Riders Alliance

Jessica Murray
Organizer
Rise and Resist Elevator Action Group

Eric McClure
Executive Director
StreetsPAC

Renae Reynolds
Executive Director
Tri-State Transportation Campaign

Cc. Janno Lieber, Acting Chairman & CEO, MTA
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie
Senator Leroy Comrie
Assemblymember Robert Carroll