Last week, Riders Alliance held a rally in Queens to demand federal investment in public transit within the city and throughout the country. Right now, public transit systems find themselves in a precarious economic and structural position. Without serious funding, service could decrease, fares could increase, and the already crumbling infrastructure of subway systems could take a devastating turn.

Together, NYLPI, Riders Alliance, Rep. Grace Meng, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stood with Borough President Donovan Richards, and Assemblymembers Cruz, González-Rojas, and Rajkumar, Tri-State Transportation Campaign, PCAC, and Straphangers Campaign called upon lawmakers to #TransformTransit.

Our own Eman Rimawi was one of the speakers at the rally, addressing the ongoing Access-a-Ride Reform campaign under NYLPI’s Disability Justice program.

Funding transit operations means running a safe and reliable Access-A-Ride for those who depend on it.

Thank you @Eman_Rimawi and @NYLPI for standing with us to #transformtransit pic.twitter.com/1iAhnDS06k

— 🚇 Riders Alliance (@RidersAlliance) September 14, 2021

Speaking on the MTA’s decision to reinstate Access-a-Ride shared rides, Eman commented:

“Doing that during a pandemic… doesn’t seem like a time to reinstate shared rides. That doesn’t seem like the time to put your most vulnerable people at risk.”

For more information on NYLPI’s Access-a-Ride Campaign, visit NYLPI’s website here.