There are two separate problems here: making the MTA meet demand and making it efficient. You may not be able to achieve both goals at once. Tackling MTA effic

There are two separate problems here: making the MTA meet demand and making it efficient. You may not be able to achieve both goals at once. Tackling MTA efficiency will involve a lot of confrontations with the union. And you know they won't back down on a single thing, so service will degrade further. Having said that, maybe now is the time, when things are crumbling to take them on, with the hope of having the popular will at your back.