For anyone who has attempted to reach the MTA, but instead find themselves tangled in a confusing array of phone numbers, be thwarted no longer!
Subway passengers can now bypass having to pick from 117 public phone numbers and now simply dial 511 for any MTA related issue.
In a statement released Tuesday, MTA Managing Director Diana Jones Ritter discussed the MTA's dedication to transportation efficiency.
This is a great example of how we are working to make it easier for our customers to get information and interact with the MTA at the same time that we reduce the MTA's administrative costs. Customers now have a single phone number for all transportation-related questions, instead of a long and sometimes confusing list of agencies and departments.
The 511 hotline will direct MTA customers through one simplified menu where they will be able to connect to customer service and receive travel information for all MTA agencies. Travel information includes everything from train schedules to the lost and found to card balance information. The service, along with the 511NY.org website, will be available at all times.
511 is simliar to the city's 311 hotline launched eight years ago, which provided New Yorkers with streamlined access to the city's governmental services as quickly and easily as possible.
Back in May 2010, Mayor Bloomberg answered the 100 millionth 311 call to commemorate the line's success, prompting a study to profile what a 100 million calls look like, what complaints were reported the most, etc.
It remains to be seen what 100 million 511 calls will reveal about the city.