Attorney General James and DEC Commissioner Seggos Take Action to Stop Harmful Emissions from Norlite Facility

 

Lawsuit Against Norlite, LLC Alleges Emissions from Cohoes Facility Endanger Health and Wellbeing of Surrounding Community, Violate Multiple State Laws

New York Attorney General Letitia James and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today filed a lawsuit against Norlite, LLC (Norlite) to force the company to stop polluting the air with contaminants from its Cohoes facility. Norlite, a Tradebe subsidiary, has a history of environmental violations and has previously been subject to multiple enforcement actions and penalties from DEC, including orders to cease and desist further violations. Recent air quality monitoring conducted by the state found the facility is emitting contaminants at levels that increase the risk to the health and wellbeing of the surrounding community. In the complaint filed today, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and DEC allege Norlite has failed to protect the health and safety of neighboring residents and mitigate air pollution-causing emissions.

“Pollution from the Norlite plant has put the health and welfare of those living in its shadow in danger,” said Attorney General James. “Despite this unrelenting harm, Norlite has consistently refused to take the appropriate measures necessary to control emissions and protect neighboring families. With today’s filing, Commissioner Seggos and I are taking action to protect the surrounding community by demanding an end to this flagrant noncompliance. Everyone should be able to open their windows and spend time outside without fear — we are committed to ending Norlite’s dangerous pollution and restoring safe, clean air to the neighborhoods that have suffered.”

“Norlite’s operations repeatedly demonstrate a willful disregard for New York state law and the health of the Cohoes community,” said DEC Commissioner Seggos. “DEC’s comprehensive data collection and scientific evidence of Norlite’s harmful off-site impacts, along with the facility’s ongoing noncompliance with required actions to protect local residents and the environment resulted in this major legal action, and I commend Attorney General James and DEC’s experts for working together to bring justice to this community.”

Norlite is an aggregate manufacturing and hazardous waste incineration facility located at 628 South Saratoga Street in the city of Cohoes, roughly 100 feet away from Saratoga Sites Apartments — a 70-unit public housing complex that as of May 2022 was home to approximately 150 residents. An estimated total of 660 people live within a half-mile of the facility; 32 percent are people of color.

Industrial operations at Norlite generate an estimated 56 tons of dust per year, which migrates into the surrounding community and pollutes the air, endangering residents’ health. This “fugitive dust” has been found to contain microscopic particles and crystalline silica, which when inhaled at elevated concentration can increase the risk for lung, heart, and nervous system diseases in sensitive individuals. Exposure to crystalline silica presents a public health concern as it is linked to Silicosis and lung cancer in industrial settings. 

DEC conducted an intensive monitoring program at the facility in 2021 and 2022, which determined that levels of particulate matter and crystalline silica in the air in the community surrounding Norlite exceed levels established to protect against harmful health impacts. The monitoring also confirmed Norlite to be the primary cause of the elevated levels of particulate matter and crystalline silica in the local community’s air. 

In addition to suffering harmful emissions, residents of Saratoga Sites Apartments have been forced to limit time outside, keep windows and doors closed, and invest in air conditioning units and fans due to the excessive “fugitive dust” from the facility.

The lawsuit includes numerous environmental violations issued by DEC for operations up to September 12, 2022. DEC’s enforcement actions include multiple consent orders and penalties against Norlite dating back to 1990, and New York state will continue to closely monitor the facility, collect additional data, and hold the facility accountable for any and all violations that occur during this legal process.

KRVC - Our Halloween Party is BACK! - Join us Monday, October 31, 3-7pm at KRVC

 

Join us for our Annual Halloween Party!

Look forward to seeing you!

KRVCDC.ORG

@krvcbronx

MAYOR ADAMS, DEPARTMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS SERVICES APPOINT DASHEEDA DAWSON AS CANNABIS NYC FOUNDING DIRECTOR

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Kevin D. Kim announced the appointment of Dasheeda Dawson as the founding director of its new Cannabis NYC initiative to spearhead the agency’s support of the growing cannabis industry. Dawson will lead SBS’s strategy to support New York’s emerging cannabis industry through widespread public education, direct services to cannabis entrepreneurs and professionals, legislative advocacy, and policy development at all levels of government.

 

“Our administration is committed to planting the seeds for equity in a high-growth, budding industry like cannabis sales,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “The nation’s most equitable cannabis industry will be in New York City, and to drive that goal home, we have chosen a proven leader with unmatched experience and credibility in this field. Dasheeda Dawson will fill the needs of entrepreneurs in this space, and as a person with lived experience and who was harmed by the ‘War on Drugs,’ this is personal for her. I look forward to working with her, day after day, to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New Yorkers and grow this initiative.”

 

“New York City is committed to building the country’s most equitable cannabis industry,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “By naming an experienced and accomplished industry leader like Dasheeda Dawson as founding director of Cannabis NYC, we are ensuring our economic and social equity goals will be fulfilled as this industry grows across the city.”

 

"Equity and social justice are the guiding principles of the Adams administration, and that’s why we are so excited to welcome Dasheeda Dawson as our founding director of Cannabis NYC,” said SBS Commissioner Kevin D. Kim. “Her professional experience as an educator, regulator, entrepreneur, and advocate make her ready for this moment. Her personal experience — as someone who has been impacted directly by the ‘War on Drugs’ — also uniquely prepare her to lead this groundbreaking initiative. I am confident that with Dasheeda at the helm of Cannabis NYC, we will help countless New Yorkers better understand and fully take advantage of this newfound opportunity.”

 

“Leading Cannabis NYC is an incredible full circle moment. Growing up in East New York, I survived the height of cannabis prohibition and witnessed targeted enforcement derail the lives of my friends and family. I was stopped, searched, and treated like a criminal before I ever touched the plant, which shaped my initial perceptions,” says Dasheeda Dawson, founding director, Cannabis NYC. “Now, as a cannabis patient, educator, and regulator, I get to support other consumers, small businesses, and local stakeholders in the growing industry so that cannabis — once used to suppress communities like mine — can be tapped as a tool for transformation. I’m thrilled to be back home, helping to craft an equity-centered approach to the city’s cannabis industry framework that welcomes all New Yorkers to the table.”

 

Dawson will serve as the primary liaison between SBS, other city agencies, the New York State Office of Cannabis Management (NYSOCM), as well as community stakeholders, including elected officials, community boards, and industry associations. She will also work to establish and collaborate with the New York City Cannabis Advisory Council, an advisory board of industry and community stakeholders that aims to ensure innovation and equity are central to the success of this emerging industry.

 

“Dasheeda understands what it means to run a city cannabis program that centers equity and community reinvestment,'' says Chris Alexander, executive director, NYSOCM. “Her historic work in Portland investing in entrepreneurs and tirelessly advocating in her home state of New York define her as a national leader in the cannabis space. She has continued to destigmatize cannabis use while promoting its benefits, and I’m confident that she’ll continue to be a powerful ally as we work together to make New York’s cannabis market the most accessible and diverse in the nation.”

 

About Dasheeda Dawson -- Founding Director of Cannabis NYC

 

Dasheeda Dawson is a global cannabis advocate, award-winning Fortune 100 business strategist, and a bestselling author on the cannabis industry. Her advocacy and thought leadership have also been featured across multiple outlets.

 

Dawson has nearly 20 years of business development, strategic management, and brand marketing excellence while leading transformative organizations in both the public and private sectors, nearly a decade of which has focused on the growing cannabis industry.

 

As an advocate and policy advisor, Dawson was pivotal to the 2021 landmark passage of New York’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act. While fighting for legalization in her home state, Dawson was tapped to lead cannabis regulation in Portland, Oregon. As cannabis program manager for the City of Portland, Dawson oversaw all regulatory licensing, compliance, education, and equity initiatives for the city’s cannabis industry. Supported by ongoing cannabis tax revenue allocation, her office managed the Social Equity & Educational Development (SEED) Initiatives, which includes the nationally-modeled SEED Grant Fund, the country’s first community reinvestment fund tied to local cannabis tax revenue. Under her leadership, Portland approved a multimillion-dollar Cannabis Emergency Relief Fund, becoming the first government jurisdiction in the country to allocate cannabis tax revenue to provide aid and emergency relief to the industry.

 

Dawson serves as Board chair of the Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition, a national organization of industry policymakers and regulators often referred to as the leading architects of cannabis equity and reform in the United States.

 

Dawson received her MBA from Rutgers Business School and completed her undergraduate degree in molecular biology at Princeton University.

 

As Open Enrollment Begins Oct. 15, NYSOFA Encourages Older Adults to Utilize Free Statewide Medicare Counseling Program

 

The NYSOFA-administered Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program (HIICAP) served 248,000 New Yorkers in 2021, helping individuals make informed decisions

Medicare open enrollment begins October 15 and runs through December 7. It's the time when beneficiaries can make changes in their health plan or prescription drug coverage and other options that take effect January 1.

Free and objective counseling is available to help beneficiaries navigate their options. The New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) encourages older New Yorkers to utilize this assistance. It is available through the NYSOFA-administered Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program (HIICAP), which helped 248,000 New Yorkers in 2021. To reach a local counselor, call the helpline at 800-701-0501.  

NYSOFA Director Greg Olsen said: "Your insurance coverage changes from year to year. So do your individual needs as a Medicare beneficiary, such as newly prescribed prescription drugs, having different physicians who may not be in a plan’s network, or changes in your financial status that might make you eligible for assistance to cover out-of-pocket costs. HIICAP counselors are a trusted resource to review your current needs and help you make informed decisions, especially at this critical time during open enrollment. Every beneficiary should take this opportunity to fine-tune their needs."

Upcoming Facebook Livestream to Answer Your Questions

On October 27 at 1 p.m., NYSOFA will be featuring a livestream on Facebook covering "Medicare Open Enrollment: What You Need to Know." The program is part of a monthly series where NYSOFA Director Greg Olsen features guest experts on topics of interest to older adults.

NYSOFA’s guests on October 27 include Heather Leddick, who is the primary administrator for HIICAP in New York State. She'll discuss the HIICAP program, what it offers, and how to get assistance. The livestream will also include Frederic Riccardi, President of the Medicare Rights Center. He’ll explain the 2023 changes in Medicare, including expansion of Medicaid and the Medicare Savings Program (MSP), among other updates.

RSVP for the program here or head to NYSOFA's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NYSAGING on October 27 at 1 p.m. to watch the program and ask questions of the experts in the livestream chat.

Heather Leddick, administrator for HIICAP in New York, said: “With over 500 trained HIICAP counselors throughout the state, Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers have access to a trusted known community resource. We encourage beneficiaries to contact 1-800-701-0501 to schedule a one-on-one counseling appointment at any time throughout the open enrollment period and throughout the year. This free, unbiased service provides education and information to help you make informed decisions about your personal health care needs.”

Frederic Riccardi, President of the Medicare Rights Center, said: “As people with Medicare weigh their coverage choices for the upcoming year, health care costs are an important consideration. Starting in 2023, people who live in New York and have a limited income may be newly eligible to receive assistance with their health care costs through a Medicare Savings Program (MSP). On January 1, eligibility for this vital program will expand for New Yorkers, and if someone is currently enrolled in an MSP, they may receive more comprehensive benefits.” 

HIICAP in Detail

During open enrollment, or at any time of the year, HIICAP can help you:

• Understand the Medicare prescription drug benefit (Medicare Part D) and how to select the best plan.

• Understand low-income subsidy programs, including Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs).

• Find ways to pay for your medications or medical equipment.

• Understand and apply for the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) program.

• Choose between original Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans.

• Understand Medicare rules and your medical bills.

• Report possible Medicare fraud or abuse.

• Provide information on how to appeal a decision by Medicare, your managed care provider or other health insurance company.

• Discover ways to fill in Medicare’s gaps.

• Learn how to file a Medicare or Medigap complaint.

• Learn about Medicare-covered prevention and screenings.

Protecting Yourself

Medicare experts report a higher risk of potential fraud during the open-enrollment period as well as potentially misleading marketing. Medicare has rules about how plans can and cannot communicate with you to market their insurance products. The Medicare Rights Center offers the following warnings:

• Plans are allowed to mail or e-mail you but are not allowed to call or visit you in person without your permission.

• Beware of people who pressure about making plan changes, claim to be representing Medicare, or attempt to alarm you about losing benefits unless you enroll in a particular plan.

• Beneficiaries who believe they are a victim of fraud or identity theft should contact Medicare. More information is available at Help fight Medicare fraud.

NYSOFA and Medicare also remind older adults to treat their Medicare number as they do their Social Security number and credit card information. People with Medicare should never give their personal information to anyone arriving at their home uninvited or making unsolicited phone calls selling Medicare-related products or services. If someone calls and asks for a recipient’s Medicare number or other personal information, hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Attorney General James Secures $1.9 Million from E-Commerce SHEIN and ROMWE Owner Zoetop for Failing to Protect Consumers’ Data

 

Zoetop Failed to Notify All 39 Million SHEIN Shoppers of a Data Breach and Downplayed the Scope of the Breach to Consumers

More than 800,000 New Yorkers Were Impacted by SHEIN and ROMWE Data Breach

New York Attorney General Letitia James secured $1.9 million from e-commerce retailer, Zoetop Business Company, Ltd. (Zoetop), for failing to properly handle a data breach that compromised the personal information of tens of millions of consumers worldwide and for lying about the scope of the breach to consumers. Zoetop, which owns and operates the popular e-commerce brands SHEIN and ROMWE, had a data breach in which 39 million SHEIN accounts and 7 million ROMWE accounts were stolen, including accounts for more than 800,000 New York residents. SHEIN and ROMWE are popular shopping sites frequently used by millennials and Gen Zers. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) revealed that the company failed to properly safeguard consumers’ information prior to the data breach, failed to take adequate steps to protect many of the impacted accounts after the breach, and downplayed the extent of the cyberattack to consumers. As a result of today’s agreement, Zoetop must pay $1.9 million in penalties to the state and strengthen its cybersecurity measures to protect consumers’ information.

“SHEIN and ROMWE’s weak digital security measures made it easy for hackers to shoplift consumers’ personal data,” said Attorney General James. “While New Yorkers were shopping for the latest trends on SHEIN and ROMWE, their personal data was stolen and Zoetop tried to cover it up. Failing to protect consumers’ personal data and lying about it is not trendy. SHEIN and ROMWE must button up their cybersecurity measures to protect consumers from fraud and identity theft. This agreement should send a clear warning to companies that they must strengthen their digital security measures and be transparent with consumers, anything less will not be tolerated.”

In June 2018, Zoetop was targeted in a cyberattack. Attackers stole credit card information and personal information, including names, email addresses, and hashed account passwords of certain Zoetop customers, including SHEIN shoppers. Zoetop did not detect the intrusion and was later notified by its payment processor that its systems appeared to have been compromised. The payment processor reported that it had been contacted by a large credit card network and a credit card issuing bank, each of which had information “indicating that [Zoetop’s] system[s] have been infiltrated and card data stolen.” 

Following the cyberattack, Zoetop engaged a cybersecurity firm to conduct a forensic investigation. The cybersecurity firm confirmed that attackers had gained access to Zoetop’s internal network and had altered code responsible for processing customer transactions in an attempt to intercept and exfiltrate customer’s credit card information. The cybersecurity firm also found that the attackers had exfiltrated the personal information of SHEIN customers, including names, email addresses, and hashed account passwords. Worldwide, 39 million SHEIN account credentials were stolen, including the credentials of more than 375,000 New York residents.

The OAG investigation found that Zoetop contacted only a fraction of the 39 million SHEIN accounts whose login credentials had been compromised and did not reset passwords or otherwise protect any of the exposed accounts. For the vast majority of SHEIN accounts impacted in the breach — more than 32.5 million accounts worldwide and 255,294 New York residents — Zoetop failed to even alert those customers that their login credentials had been stolen.  

In addition, Zoetop’s public statements about the data breach included several misrepresentations about the breach’s size and scope. For example, Zoetop falsely stated that only 6.42 million consumers had been impacted in the breach and that the company was in the process of notifying all of the impacted customers. Zoetop also represented, falsely, that it “ha[d] seen no evidence that [customer] credit card information was taken from our systems.”    

Two years later, Zoetop discovered customer login credentials for ROMWE customer accounts available on the dark web. Based on the results of a forensic investigation, Zoetop concluded that the ROMWE login credentials had likely been exfiltrated in 2018 in the same attack that had impacted SHEIN accounts. Zoetop reset the passwords of affected accounts and notified affected ROMWE consumers. In all, the login credentials of over 7 million ROMWE accounts were stolen, of which nearly 500,000 belonged to New York residents.

The OAG found that, at the time of the 2018 data breach, Zoetop failed to maintain reasonable security measures to protect customers’ data in several areas:

•   Password Management: Until August 2018, Zoetop hashed customer passwords using an algorithm that was known at the time to be insufficient to protect against attacks.
•   Protection of Sensitive Customer Information: Zoetop misconfigured its systems to store credit card information from certain transactions in a debug log file in plain text, which is less secure and easier for hackers to access. In addition, at the time of the breach, Zoetop failed to perform scans to identify where on its systems cardholder data was stored. 
•   Monitoring: Zoetop did not run regular external vulnerability scans or regularly monitor or review audit logs to identify security incidents.
•   Incident Response: Zoetop did not have a comprehensive, written incident response plan in place to address a cyberattack. In addition, following the 2018 data breach, Zoetop failed to take timely action to protect many of the impacted customers.

As a result of today’s agreement, Zoetop is required to pay New York $1,900,000 in penalties and costs. In addition, Zoetop must maintain a comprehensive information security program that includes robust hashing of customer passwords, network monitoring for suspicious activity, network vulnerability scanning, and incident response policies requiring timely investigation, timely consumer notice, and prompt password resets. 

You're Invited: Street Co-naming Ceremony for George Rodriguez

 

You are cordially invited to join us as we honor and pay tribute to the life of George Rodriguez. See flyer below for more details.

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES PLACEMENT OF FAMILY-FOCUSED HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RELIEF CENTER TO ASSIST ASYLUM SEEKERS

 

Second Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center Located at Midtown Hotel to Serve Families with Children 

 

Multitude of Options Being Considered for Future Humanitarian Relief Centers  

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the city will soon open a Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center that will serve asylum seeker families with children arriving in New York City. As the estimated number of asylum seekers in New York City surpasses at least 18,600, as of this weekend, this specific humanitarian relief center will assist newly arriving families and provide them with a range of services, in addition to ensuring they can reach their desired destination, if not New York City. This humanitarian relief center will be located at The Row hotel in midtown Manhattan and will initially serve 200 families, with the ability to scale to serve additional families in the coming weeks. 

 

Humanitarian relief centers will become the first touch point for arriving asylum seekers, helping people by immediately offering shelter, food, medical care, case work services, and a range of settlement options. 

 

“As the numbers of asylum seekers entering New York City continues to increase without an end in sight, the city’s family-focused Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center will soon open to serve families with children and provide them with the care and compassion they deserve. Our team will continue to work with these families and assess if they want to actually stay in New York City and, if not, help them get to their desired destinations,” said Mayor Adams. “This is not an everyday homelessness crisis, but a humanitarian crisis that requires a different approach, and these humanitarian emergency response centers will take on a multitude of looks with the similarities that they will all help triage and provide immediate support to arriving asylum seekers. We will continue to respond with care and compassion as we deal with this humanitarian crisis made by human hands.” 

 

“Whether you are a parent arriving with a young child or a grandparent traveling with grandchildren, this center will work to connect you all to the most appropriate resources,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Thank you to our partners in government and thank you to the community and service provider partners working with us to serve each person and each family with dignity, respect, and kindness.” 

 

 “This Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center allows us to address families’ wide spectrum of needs through one comprehensive, dedicated approach,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III.  “As this humanitarian crisis evolves, New York City will continue to identify and implement effective solutions to meet these challenges head-on.” 

 

"I’m proud of NYCEM and our partner agencies’ commitment and work to serve asylum seekers arriving in New York City," said New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) Commissioner Zach Iscol. “This family HERRC is an investment in the next American immigration story and will provide a space for families to receive appropriate services and short-term emergency housing while figuring out their next steps.” 

 

“Our new emergency humanitarian centers put asylum seekers at the center, using New York City compassion and effectiveness to help them complete their journey,” said Ted Long, MD, MHS, senior vice president, Ambulatory Care and Population Health; NYC Health + Hospitals. “This Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center will welcome families seeking asylum with a comfortable place to stay, as well as food, medical care, language access, technology, and case management services to reconnect with their family members and settle where they want to be. These centers show how cities can meet the multifaceted, complex needs of our recent arrivals, providing respite after a long and arduous experience. I am proud to work in the administration of Mayor Eric Adams and Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom, who have shown true leadership throughout this humanitarian crisis, and I express my deepest gratitude to the team at NYC Health + Hospitals for their dedicated service to all who seek asylum in our country.”  

 

“New York has always been a city of immigrants and HTC is proud to work with Mayor Adams and other stakeholders to ensure that these migrant families find safe haven here,” said Rich Maroko, president, Hotel & Gaming Trades Council (HTC), AFL-CIO. “As a union representing thousands of immigrants who provide professional hospitality to New York’s visitors, we stand ready to help in any way we can.” 

 

Since this humanitarian crisis began, the city has — largely on its own — taken fast and urgent action, managing the arrival of a rapidly increasing number of buses across New York City with virtually no coordination from states sending them; opening 46 hotels as emergency shelters; standing up a navigation center to connect asylum seekers with critical resources; enrolling children in public schools through Project Open Arms; and more.  

 

The Randall’s Island Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center, only serving adults, is expected to open soon.  

Governor Hochul Announces Post-Pandemic Ridership and OMNY Records

 Metro-North Railroad Carried Record 193,000 Riders on Tuesday, October 11

Subway Reached Pandemic Weekend Record with 2.396 Million Riders on Saturday, October 8

Subway OMNY Reached Weekend Record of 1.071 Million Taps on Saturday, October 8

Long Island Rail Road Reached 203,000 Riders

Access-A-Ride Hit Pandemic Record of 28,500 Trips Booked on Thursday, October 6

 Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Metro-North Railroad set a pandemic-era ridership record yesterday, Tuesday, October 11 with 193,000 riders, topping the previous record set on Tuesday, September 20. In addition, on Saturday, October 8, the New York City subway carried 2,396,000 riders constituting 73.4 percent of pre-pandemic levels, topping the previous pandemic weekend ridership record of 2,388,000 set two weeks prior. Subway OMNY also had a record high of 1,071,000 million taps for weekends that day. Access-A-Ride also reached a pandemic record of 28,500 trips booked on Thursday, October 6, approximately 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

"I am thrilled to see New Yorkers continue to break ridership records and am eager to see how far this momentum can take us," Governor Hochul said. "Public transportation is not only an environmentally friendly and affordable way to travel around New York City and State but is also the best way to enjoy all that New York has to offer."

Metro-North President and Long Island Rail Road Interim President Catherine Rinaldi said, "These numbers prove what we already know: for people headed to the Bronx or the northern suburbs, or east to Connecticut, Metro-North is the best way to go. And with the Yankees on track to win the World Series for the first time since 2009, Yankees fans know that the fastest, cheapest and safest way to get to home games at the Stadium is public transportation."

On Tuesday, October 11, the subway had another strong day carrying 3,642,000 riders, and when combined with bus passengers, New York City Transit carried just under 5 million New Yorkers.  

OMNY, or One Metro New York, debuted to the public in 2019 as a pilot phase at 19 subway stations and on Staten Island buses. The rollout of the contactless system was completed in December of 2020, with all 472 subway stations and the entirety of the MTA's 5,800 bus fleet now equipped with approximately 15,000 OMNY readers.    

The Authority launched the OMNY fare-capping pilot on subways and buses earlier this year. The fare-capping pilot includes a "Lucky 13" feature where, starting with the 13th ride of each week, every additional ride on subways or buses is free for the rest of that week.   

The Long Island Rail Road carried more than 203,000 customers on Tuesday, topping the 200,000 rider mark for the third time this month and the sixth time since Thursday, September 1.   

On the commuter rails, both LIRR and Metro-North continue to offer fare discount packages, including a 10 percent discount for monthly passes, and a new 20-trip ticket tailored for the hybrid work schedule. The new 20-trip ticket saves riders 20 percent on regular peak one-way fares. For commuter rail riders traveling within the five boroughs, the MTA also expanded City Ticket, which offers a reduced, flat fare of $5.00 for rail travel within New York City on weekends, to include all weekday off-peak trains.