"Overall, the push for rail has forced transit ridership down," said Tom Rubin, a veteran transit consultant and former chief financial officer for the MTA's predecessor. "Had they run a lot of buses at low fares, they could have doubled the number of riders."
Rail transit advocates say that it is too early to judge the overall approach because the light rail and metro lines are not fully developed yet.
"In the future, it is possible that more high-density housing and commercial centers will be built near light-rail and subway stations, which could boost ridership," writes Weikel.
