What to Know
- A transportation union highlighted its “train trash” contest in a full-page ad, inviting riders to post photos of disgusting train cars
- The nastiest picture (aka the one with the most likes) by November 30th wins a $500 prize
- The campaign by the TWU local 100 comes amid contract negotiations with the transit agency, as they say NYCT has cut 79 "cleaner positions"
It’s something every New Yorker has experienced: A subway car so disgusting, even a packed train at rush hour refuses to ride in it.
But now that rancid ride could snag one lucky (or maybe not-so-lucky?) commuter a nice cash prize.
A transportation union took out a full-page ad on Monday highlighting its “train trash” contest, inviting riders to post photos of disgusting MTA subway cars — with the nastiest picture getting $500.
The campaign by the TWU local 100 comes amid contract negotiations with the transit agency, as they claim New York City Transit has cut 79 “cleaner positions,” with commuters stuck to deal with the sometimes disgusting consequences.
Trash piles, vomit, feces, mysterious wet seats featuring puddles of who-knows-what — all things that commuters deal with on a near-daily basis, and photos of which all are fair game to be entered in the contest.
While the union says it won’t accept staged photos or anything that appears to target the homeless, they are hoping to transit employees participates in the ploy aimed at getting the MTA to change its mind in regards to the alleged cuts.
Local
“If the MTA wants to save money, they should cut consultants, not service,” the union said.
The MTA pushed back against the claims that they are allowing their trains to get grimy. The agency said that crews tidy up stations each day and “all 591 MTA subway trains in service every day — more than 5,000 cars — are routinely cleaned multiple times throughout the day.”
While some riders acknowledge it’s a tall task to keep all the subway cars clean, most seemed to think the contest is a good idea — and will be ready to take pictures.
“Yes I am. Why not. We need our trains clean,” said commuter Leonard Brown.
Rick Johnson, another rider, agreed. “They are real filthy. Half the time you get on the subway and you can still smell the urine and feces on the chair. It’s like they don’t clean them,” he said.
The photo with the most likes by November 30th wins. A word of warning — some of the photos already posted are truly disgusting.
