Accountable Public Authorities and an “Open MTA”
NYS public authorities, like the MTA and Thruway, borrow 96% of state debt and spend $50B a year. They should be accountable and open. The MTA is the largest single unit of state government employs 70,000 people and has an annual budget of $17B. We seek an “Open MTA.”

In the News
Accountable Public Authorities

August 21, 2019 State Senators Call on MTA To Abide By Open Meeting Laws New York Daily News
August 19, 2019 Week Ahead In NY Politics August 19 2019 Gotham Gazette
August 15, 2019 MTA Audit Blasts Antiquated LIRR Work Rules With ‘No Modern Justification’ New York Post
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From the Blog
Accountable Public Authorities

July 1, 2019 Groups Repeat Call for MTA Reorganization Plan to be Publicly Released Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee, Regional Plan Association, Reinvent Albany, Riders Alliance, Straphangers Campaign, StreetsPAC, TransitCenter, Transportation Alternatives, Tri-State Transportation CampaignAfter June 30th Deadline Passes, Groups Repeat Call for MTA Reorganization Plan to be Publicly Released Report should be posted online today, followed by public hearings. In light of reporting that the AlixPartners MTA plan recommends […]
June 26, 2019 Testimony to MTA on Transparency for Reorganization and Capital Plans Testimony of Rachael Fauss, Reinvent Albany Before MTA Board of DirectorsRe: Transparency Needed on Reorganization and Capital Plans June 26, 2019 Good morning. I am Rachael Fauss, Senior Research Analyst for Reinvent Albany. We advocate for more transparent and accountable state government, including for state authorities like the MTA. Reinvent Albany and five other groups, […]
Joint Statement on Pressing MTA Issues New York City Transit Riders Council NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign Riders Alliance Reinvent Albany TransitCenter Tri-State Transportation CampaignStatement on Pressing MTA issues Our groups have watched the swirl of activity around the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) with great interest. We remain extremely concerned about the financial health and general welfare of the MTA and would like […]
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Reports and Policy Briefs
Accountable Public Authorities

August 2019 Who is the MTA Board? An analysis of the 2019 MTA Board finds that only 36% of voting board members live in NYC, versus 89% of riders. When additionally compared by age, income, and ethnicity, MTA board members are not like transit riders. Review of financial disclosures also finds conflicts of interest for board members.
May 2019 Open MTA – 50 Actions NY Can Take to Renew Public Trust in the MTA A comprehensive report that makes specific recommendations for improving the MTA’s transparency, governance, oversight and ethics. (2019)
April 2019 Steps Forward for MTA FOIL and Open Data 18 specific actions the MTA can take to improve transparency now. (2019)
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