Comments on: Thompson blasts station agent elimination plans http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/09/03/thompson-blasts-station-agent-elimination-plans/ A New York City Subway Blog Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:58:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Derek Pimble http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/09/03/thompson-blasts-station-agent-elimination-plans/#comment-241790 Derek Pimble Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:02:27 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3787#comment-241790 I have been a Railroad Clerk / Station Agent for 15 out of my 21 years with the Transit Authority and I have been given a lot of information to tourists, some of them wanted to give me tips but I refused because I told them it was my job. Anyone who does not know Station Agents give directions to tourists probably does not use the Subway I have been a Railroad Clerk / Station Agent for 15 out of my 21 years with the Transit Authority and I have been given a lot of information to tourists, some of them wanted to give me tips but I refused because I told them it was my job. Anyone who does not know Station Agents give directions to tourists probably does not use the Subway

]]> By: Derek Pimble http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/09/03/thompson-blasts-station-agent-elimination-plans/#comment-241789 Derek Pimble Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:02:12 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3787#comment-241789 I have been a Railroad Clerk ? Station Agent for 15 out of my 21 years with the Transit Authority and I have been given a lot of information to tourists, some of them wanted to give me tips but I refused because I told them it was my job. Anyone who does not know Station Agents give directions to tourists probably does not use the Subway I have been a Railroad Clerk ? Station Agent for 15 out of my 21 years with the Transit Authority and I have been given a lot of information to tourists, some of them wanted to give me tips but I refused because I told them it was my job. Anyone who does not know Station Agents give directions to tourists probably does not use the Subway

]]> By: Alon Levy http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/09/03/thompson-blasts-station-agent-elimination-plans/#comment-64411 Alon Levy Sun, 06 Sep 2009 08:30:39 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3787#comment-64411 I was. When <i>I</i> ask for directions, even for stuff they should know like "Where is Lost Property?" at Penn Station, they don't give any useful information. I was. When I ask for directions, even for stuff they should know like “Where is Lost Property?” at Penn Station, they don’t give any useful information.

]]> By: Alon Levy http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/09/03/thompson-blasts-station-agent-elimination-plans/#comment-64402 Alon Levy Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:47:16 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3787#comment-64402 Indeed, Bloomberg runs the city like a business that he and nobody else owns. Democracy? Listening to the people? Who needs that? Indeed, Bloomberg runs the city like a business that he and nobody else owns. Democracy? Listening to the people? Who needs that?

]]> By: JAR http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/09/03/thompson-blasts-station-agent-elimination-plans/#comment-64389 JAR Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:09:57 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3787#comment-64389 Some of the station agents are great, and some of them... not so much. It would be wise of the MTA to not just survey/indict the entire population, but really test out a few things: -What locations work best? Do agents have the most interaction and benefit at tourist-heavy stations or is it locations with a large family population that needs to use the gate or stations where there would otherwise be daytime farebeating issues? -What people work best? You want a different kind of person in a tourist-heavy station than in an outer-boro alternate entrance. Some stations will benefit more from having people know the neighborhood or the system. I suspect that individual employee qualities play no role in assignments right now. -Do agents have the tools they need to do the job well? They may have maps, but do they have other things helpful to giving directions, like pads and paper? Are they trained to not only give directions, but write them down? Are they trained in security-related tactics? Can they get in contact with train supervision and provide service interruption updates? I don't like the idea of "lazy" station agents, but I also don't like seeing good people lose their job. This is definitely a program that could be really, really valuable to customers if the MTA would take some time to make it work. Some of the station agents are great, and some of them… not so much.
It would be wise of the MTA to not just survey/indict the entire population, but really test out a few things:
-What locations work best? Do agents have the most interaction and benefit at tourist-heavy stations or is it locations with a large family population that needs to use the gate or stations where there would otherwise be daytime farebeating issues?
-What people work best? You want a different kind of person in a tourist-heavy station than in an outer-boro alternate entrance. Some stations will benefit more from having people know the neighborhood or the system. I suspect that individual employee qualities play no role in assignments right now.
-Do agents have the tools they need to do the job well? They may have maps, but do they have other things helpful to giving directions, like pads and paper? Are they trained to not only give directions, but write them down? Are they trained in security-related tactics? Can they get in contact with train supervision and provide service interruption updates?
I don’t like the idea of “lazy” station agents, but I also don’t like seeing good people lose their job. This is definitely a program that could be really, really valuable to customers if the MTA would take some time to make it work.

]]> By: Phil http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/09/03/thompson-blasts-station-agent-elimination-plans/#comment-64381 Phil Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:31:42 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3787#comment-64381 Station agents don't give directions; they mumble something incoherent to foreign tourists and are pretty much a low in terms of customer service. Thompson is just a corrupt union lover and would be a disaster for mayor. Vote Bloomberg, he can actually run a city like a business. Station agents don’t give directions; they mumble something incoherent to foreign tourists and are pretty much a low in terms of customer service. Thompson is just a corrupt union lover and would be a disaster for mayor. Vote Bloomberg, he can actually run a city like a business.

]]> By: Don Anon http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/09/03/thompson-blasts-station-agent-elimination-plans/#comment-64377 Don Anon Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:20:39 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3787#comment-64377 Without token booth clerks, who will open the emergency gates for passengers with strollers or in wheelchairs? I also suspect that the clerks deter at least one kind of criminal -- fare beaters. A couple years ago, when they started telling token booth clerks at my home station to leave the booths and wander around the station, people became pretty brazen about jumping the turnstiles when the booths were empty. Maybe these benefits are outweighed by the costs, but they are real benefits. Without token booth clerks, who will open the emergency gates for passengers with strollers or in wheelchairs?

I also suspect that the clerks deter at least one kind of criminal — fare beaters. A couple years ago, when they started telling token booth clerks at my home station to leave the booths and wander around the station, people became pretty brazen about jumping the turnstiles when the booths were empty.

Maybe these benefits are outweighed by the costs, but they are real benefits.

]]> By: JP http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/09/03/thompson-blasts-station-agent-elimination-plans/#comment-64374 JP Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:50:48 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3787#comment-64374 all the time. I thought you were paying attention? you post here often enough to make it sound like you do. all the time. I thought you were paying attention? you post here often enough to make it sound like you do.

]]> By: Alon Levy http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/09/03/thompson-blasts-station-agent-elimination-plans/#comment-64366 Alon Levy Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:30:45 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3787#comment-64366 Thompson reminds me of Japanese opposition parties. Neither has a well-defined ideology, other than to oppose the corrupt ruling party, with its corporate-state merger, and insist that they would never have the same problems. (About ten years ago, when the Japanese government wanted to increase sales taxes, the communist party attacked it for promoting big government.) Thompson reminds me of Japanese opposition parties. Neither has a well-defined ideology, other than to oppose the corrupt ruling party, with its corporate-state merger, and insist that they would never have the same problems. (About ten years ago, when the Japanese government wanted to increase sales taxes, the communist party attacked it for promoting big government.)

]]> By: Alon Levy http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/09/03/thompson-blasts-station-agent-elimination-plans/#comment-64365 Alon Levy Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:28:42 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3787#comment-64365 Since when do station agents give tourists directions? Since when do station agents give tourists directions?

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