Luxury Shuttle Service Hopes to Ease 'Chaos' From Looming L Shutdown
*By Carlo Versano*
When New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority shuts down the L Train next April for 15 months of repairs, an estimated 225,000 Brooklynites will need to rethink their commutes.
Enter the [New L](https://www.thenewl.com/), a pop-up carpool service of sorts which will transport up to 13 commuters at a time from their doorsteps in Brooklyn to drop-off points in Manhattan for the duration of the shutdown.
The "core shuttle service" will expand accessibility for residents of Williamsburg, Bushwick, Greenpoint, and other crowded neighborhoods that are currently serviced by the L but far from other lines, New L founder Jaime Getto said in an interview with Cheddar Wednesday.
Getto's business is part of a patchwork system of mobility solutions ー public, private, and personal ー conceived to deal with the repercussions of what will be a massive (and extended) headache for many commuters.
Ridership on the L has more than tripled since 1990, according to the MTA. The agency has said [contingency plans](http://web.ta.info/sandy/resources.html) include increased bus and ferry service, though it's admitted that up to 85 percent of impacted riders will opt for other subway lines. That will create a spillover effect on already crowded trains like the J, M, and Z.
Getto said her initiative can help alleviate that "chaos."
"I had to create this company because the MTA's mitigation plan was not feasible," she said, [echoing](https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/05/17/the-l-train-shutdown-scenario-just-got-a-whole-lot-worse/) the concerns of many locals.
Getto's idea began as a way to provide a service to her neighbors, though she said it immediately became clear that she could appeal to a wider base. The New L is mostly a technology platform, she added, and does not own any vehicles or employ any drivers. Instead, it will utilize fleets of for-hire cars already licensed by the Taxi & Limousine Commission.
The company is currently collecting data from potential riders to build the most efficient routes, Getto said. The fleet will consist of luxury sprinter vans and include Wi-Fi, chargers, and even a rotating breakfast menu from local cafes. Pricing is still in process, she said, but will include a $155 monthly option. That, though, just covers rides into Manhattan in the mornings ー getting home is up to the riders.
"The service will operate for the duration of the shutdown," Getto said, and will cease "once there's a suitable alternative provided by the MTA," presumably after the repairs are over.
The New L will help reduce the amount of cars on the road during this critical time, Getto said. She did not indicate how long a commute on the New L will take.
*(Disclosure: The author's father is a former executive at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.)*
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-new-l-a-luxury-transportation-alternative-during-nycs-l-train-shutdown).
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
