NEW YORK — The head of New York City’s subway and bus system resigned from his position earlier this month but has since rescinded that decision, according to media reports.
New York City Transit President Andy Byford handed in his resignation because he did not want to oversee possible cuts in service, and because of disagreements with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, according to Politico, which first reported the resignation.
But Crain’s New York Business quotes a statement from a Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokeswoman, who confirmed that Byford had submitted the letter of resignation but that it has since been rescinded. In a statement, Byford said, “I’m not going anywhere, and I remain laser-focused on improving day-to-day service for millions of New Yorkers and delivering a transformed transit network.”
Byford, born in England, began his career with the London Underground and also held positions in Australia and Canada, serving as CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission before becoming NYC Transit’s president in January 2018. He has generally received positive marks for his work to improve subway and bus service in the city, most notably with the Fast Forward plan introduced in May 2018. In its most recent report, the subway system reported a significant improvement in on-time performance. [See “New York City Transit touts best on-time performance in six years,” Trains News Wire, July 12, 2019.]
Obviously more to the story since it has been clear from the start of Byford’s tenure that he and Cuomo would clash over control of the MTA. The MTA provides a handy club for Cuomo to bludgeon anyone who challenges his rule.