Mayor Bill de Blasio Gives Up His SUV to Ride the Subway, Show it is Safe

By Yehudit Garmaise

  Not only did Mayor Bill de Blasio say that he would take the COVID vaccine on live television to show that it is safe, but, instead of being chauffeured around the city in a sleek, black SUV, on Monday, the mayor said he will walk down the steps of a subway station, swipe his metro card, and ride the subway to show New Yorkers that public transportation is safe from COVID.

 “Study after study shows that transit is safe…subway ridership has dropped off because New Yorkers “think it is unsafe,” said reporter Gersh Kuntzman, who add to the mayor’s pledge to take the COVID vaccine on television by challenging the mayor to ride the subway for a week. 

   Kuntzman has also pointed out that the MTA shuts down its systems between 1 and 5am for thorough COVID cleaning.

    “It is important to let people know the subways are safe,” the mayor said yesterday. “I like the idea of having a period of time to really emphasize to people that they’re safe, by being out there.”

   The Metropolitan Transportation Authority could use a boost after reporting on its website that it is $44.8 billion in debt.

   In August, the mayor also tried to dispel fears about germs in subways and encourage New Yorkers to use public transportation when he said that they don't need cars. 

   “Cars are the past: the future is going to be mass transit, biking, and walking,” the mayor has said.