Millions Of Public Transit Touch N Go Smartphone Users Can Be Tracked By Law Enforcement
Published: May 11, 2021
As more and more people use their smartphones to pay for everyday items, public transit agencies are encouraging millions of Americans to use their phones as their primary means of paying their fares.
In New York City and elsewhere, police can use touch n go or touchless fares to track millions of public transit users movements.
New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority s OMNY Executive Director Al Putre said that as of December 2020 there have been over 34 million taps.
Imagine you are the Feds or the NYPD and you just found out that your agency now has access to detailed records of over 34 million transit user s personal information. What do you think will happen?
Marina Villeneuve
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference, Monday, May 10, 2021 in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool)
ALBANY As the pace of COVD-19 vaccinations has slowed, New York officials are trying a mix of mandates and incentives to overcome hesitancy, including free subway rides.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state can’t mandate vaccines until they get full approval from the federal government. If that happens, New York will require students of the state’s and New York City’s public university and college systems to get vaccinated to attend in-person classes this fall, Cuomo said in a Monday press conference in New York City.
NY to push to get subway riders, college students vaccinated
MARINA VILLENEUVE, Associated Press
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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) As the pace of COVD-19 vaccinations has slowed, New York officials are trying a mix of mandates and incentives to overcome hesitancy, including free subway rides.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state can t mandate vaccines until they get full approval from the federal government. If that happens, New York will require students of the state s and New York City s public university and college systems to get vaccinated to attend in-person classes this fall, Cuomo said in a Monday press conference in New York City.
Solar panels on homes in Boulder, Colorado. Industrial customers pay the largest share of Boulder s carbon tax, which funds equity programs and climate initiatives. Photo by Dennis Schroeder/NREL
U.S. city budgets are tighter than ever due to COVID-19. The American Rescue Plan Act, recently passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden, will provide some relief in the near term, while the proposed American Jobs Plan offers a tantalizing vision of federal infrastructure investments that could drive local climate action and equity nationwide.
Yet there remains an immutable reality that U.S. cities without dedicated revenue streams to fund climate change mitigation, resilience and environmental justice will continue to face fiscal constraints. Simply put, these social and environmental causes are at risk of being deprioritized when they stand side-by-side with other essential services.
In April passenger numbers were 36 percent below pre-pandemic levels
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has announced it will resume 24-hour subway service on May 17 – more than a year after it began closing every night for cleaning in the wake of the pandemic.
The state of New York will also end its outdoor food and beverage curfew on the same day, as falling COVID-19 cases see the city gradually return to normality.
“COVID-19 is on the decline in New York City and across New York State, and as we shift our focus to rebuilding our economy, helping businesses and putting people back to work, it’s time to bring the subway back to full capacity,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.