The Elmont Cultural Center marked Transit Equity Day on Feb. 4, Rosa Parks’ birthday, with the release of a photo series highlighting the daily struggles of Long Island residents who rely on public transportation. The images aim to highlight the need for increased funding and improved services across the region.
“Rosa Parks fought for the right to ride, but today Long Islanders are left stranded by infrequent schedules and a lack of basic dignity at our stops,” Mimi Pierre Johnson, founder of the Elmont Cultural Center, said. “Transit equity is a civil right. We are calling on our leaders to fund transportation to treat our essential workers, students, seniors, and people with disabilities with the respect they deserve.”
Transit Equity Day is observed nationally to highlight transportation as a civil rights issue, emphasizing that access to reliable transit is fundamental to inclusivity and economic opportunity. The Elmont Cultural Center said its photo series captures what it calls the “transit gap” faced by riders across Long Island.
Johnson said the photos show the stark realities of waiting for buses without shelters or other basic amenities.
“I saw those benches,” Johnson said. “No shelters. No nothing.”
The series reflects broader systemic issues facing riders, Jonhson explained, particularly seniors and people with disabilities.
She said organizations like Self-Initiated Living Options, an independent living center that serves people with disabilities, report feeling abandoned due to the lack of accessible bus stops.
“They don’t even want to leave their home,” Johnson said. She added that Access-A-Ride users who miss a bus connection may find themselves stranded in parking lots.
Although New York City has leaders who champion transit issues, Long Island often lacks advocates who prioritize public transportation. “If you look at the city, there are transportation champions,” Johnson said. “But on Long Island, we don’t have those champions.”
Johnson supported the Stronger Community Through Better Transit Act, a federal bill introduced last year that would fund transit operating costs and expand service and accessibility nationwide. The bill remains in committee and seeks billions of dollars to support public transportation systems.
If there were a larger operating budget, there could be connectivity between Suffolk and Nassau County. That is all they really need at the end of the day to bring in accessibility, explains Johnson, emphasizing their need to put more buses on the road. “Then we need the state to give more money,” she said. “We need the federal government to give more money.”
Nikki Long, a member of the Elmont Cultural Center, described her own experiences navigating the Long Island bus service. She said a recent trip on the N6X bus from Jamaica to Elmont Road took 45 minutes.
It does not help with the inconsistency of the bus schedule coupled with the lack of communication with riders, Long explained.
Long also criticized fare increases, questioning why Long Island riders are expected to follow New York City MTA fare hikes despite facing less reliable service. She said she frequently has to rely on ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft to reach Long Island Rail Road stations, which adds to her transportation costs.
“The more the community changes and becomes diverse, the traveling should be too,” Long said.
The Elmont Cultural Center said the photo series is intended bring awareness to transportation inequities and spur action from lawmakers.
Johnson hopes the release of the photos will bring attention to the urgent need for reliable, accessible, and adequately funded public transportation, particularly for communities that depend on buses and trains as their primary means of transportation.
