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TA Pushes for Riders On V Train
Hard sell by conductors
By PETE DONOHUE — Daily News Staff Writer
Take my train —
please!
Hoping to lure more riders to the unpopular V line — the punch line of
subway jokes — the Transit Authority has ordered conductors on three
other routes to pitch the V as a travel option.
The V was launched in December to help alleviate serious overcrowding on
the E and F lines, but the E and F remain crowded, while the V trains are
usually roomy.
When it comes to the V train, riders say F it. Observers say they're
shunned by commuters in a hurry because they make local stops.
"The V is a slow boat from Queens," said Gene Russianoff, a lawyer for the
Straphangers Campaign, part of the New York Public Interest Research Group.
"They've been reduced to begging people to take it."
A Transit Authority spokesman said: "We continually are looking for ways
to alert customers to our services."
Running between Forest Hills, Queens, and the East Village, the
Manhattan-bound V makes 10 more stops than the E, taking about
12 more minutes to get to E. 53rd St./Lexington Ave.
A TA bulletin says conductors, using scripted announcements, must help sell
the V on E, F, R and V trains during morning and evening rush hours.
Announcements also are made over some stations' public-address systems,
competing last night at 53rd/Lexington with several noisy trains and
a bongo player.
Sales Pitch
A typical sales pitch runs like this: "Ladies and gentlemen, V trains
are less crowded and only require a few additional minutes' travel time
to Queens Plaza, 23rd St./Ely Ave., Lexington Ave. and Fifth Ave.
The V train stops at Rockefeller Center, Herald Square and all stops
on Sixth Ave. to Second Ave. on the lower East Side."
As Russianoff sees it, "They should start offering door prizes —
take the V and win a MetroCard."
Few riders seemed ready to change their commute yesterday.
"Granted, the V trains are empty, but they're too slow," said Bryan Green,
a 32-year-old mail coordinator from Queens. The E train "gets me to where
I have to go faster."
Told she was being asked to consider switching trains, Ann Smith said
she couldn't even hear the announcement.
"I'm not interested in the V, anyway — it has too many stops," said Smith,
a 40-year-old bank vice president.
Jack Costi, a 57-year-old banker from Queens, said: "I'm used to crowds.
The platforms are loaded with people, the stairwells are loaded with people,
what's the difference if the trains are loaded with people?"
He added, "The V makes a lot more stops — I want to get home as fast as I can."
Original Publication Date: 4/26/02
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