Blanca Lopez, Westchester planning commissioner, seeks reconfirmation to MTA board, cites capital plan, fare-evasion and Omni rollout

Blanca Lopez, Westchester County planning commissioner and the county’s representative on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, told a joint hearing of the state finance, corporations and transportation committees on April 8 that she seeks reconfirmation to continue work on the MTA’s capital priorities, fare-collection upgrades and system resiliency.

Lopez, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s nominee and recommended by Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, said she has served on the MTA board since 2022 and has co-chaired the joint Metro-North/Long Island Rail Committee. "The decisions I make and the votes I cast are not taken lightly," she said, adding that she volunteers substantial time to board work.

Lopez told lawmakers her priorities for a new term include pushing for the implementation of the MTA’s 2025–2029 capital plan with a focus on rehabilitation and resiliency projects, accelerating the Omni contactless-fare rollout in Westchester County buses, strengthening the agency’s criminal-justice-advocate position for victims, and improving communications with riders and employees.

On the capital plan, Lopez said the MTA’s current request is roughly $68 billion and that a funding shortfall exists; she described her first question as whether proposed projects prioritize state of good repair over expansion. She singled out climate-resilient and infrastructure-rehabilitation investments on the Hudson and Harlem lines, saying the plan "includes approximately $6,000,000,000 in climate resilient projects along the Hudson Line and infrastructure rehabilitation projects along the Harlem Line impacting many stations in Westchester County." Lopez said her preference is to fund repairs and system reliability before new expansions.

Lopez described Omni, the MTA’s contactless fare system, as a priority for Westchester riders and said full implementation for Bee-Line bus compatibility should occur "by the end of the year." She noted that about 30 percent of Bee-Line riders still pay cash and that fare-box hardware must be upgraded so cash-paying riders can continue to board; she said the county planning office is coordinating operations, call centers and public outreach.

On fare and toll evasion, Lopez told lawmakers the agency is pursuing multiple remedies. She cited recent estimates discussed at the board and in expert panels of roughly $800,000,000 in annual losses from fare and toll evasion, and pointed to planned capital investments "to install modern fare gates at 50 stations systemwide" with a figure she identified as about $1,100,000,000 to reduce evasion. Lopez also referenced recent state action to strengthen civil enforcement against unpaid tolls; she described an approach combining technology upgrades, targeted enforcement teams and law-enforcement cooperation.

Lopez discussed diversity and contracting goals in the capital program, saying as diversity committee chair she monitors minority- and women-owned-business (M/WBE) and service-disabled-veteran–owned-business participation and seeks to "surpass those goals," while also pressing for greater in-house, union labor participation on projects where feasible.

Lawmakers raised Westchester-specific concerns during questioning including service levels on the Harlem and Hudson lines, station upgrades at Poughkeepsie and Mount Vernon, impacts of Penn Access and New Rochelle’s future role as a regional hub, and the need to address riders who reverse-commute into Westchester. Lopez said she will press operations counterparts and the incoming MTA president on service-frequency and resiliency commitments and that she will pursue outreach and reporting to address local concerns.

Lopez also said she supports the board’s safety agenda and highlighted the newly created criminal-justice-advocate position, which she said she will work to strengthen to assist crime victims in the transit system. On riders’ perceptions of subway safety, she said data showed a decrease in major crimes in the system in the first quarter of the year but that a comprehensive approach — law enforcement, prosecutors and victim services — is necessary to improve rider confidence.

The hearing included multiple state senators and committee members questioning Lopez; the panel said it would take a vote after the session. The transcript shows senators and other lawmakers pressed Lopez on the capital-plan funding gap, fare-evasion remedies, Omni’s user-education needs, and local station upgrades.