NEW YORK CITY – GNUSA
A new ad campaign titled “Ride Inside, Stay Alive” was launched on June 11 by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in collaboration with NYC Public Schools (NYCPS), NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) and with the help of Queens native professional BMX athlete Nigel Sylvester to fight subway surfing.
“Nothing is more important to me than keeping New Yorkers safe,”Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “Through this campaign, young New Yorkers will hear directly from peers and role models about the extreme dangers of subway surfing and the message is clear: ride inside and stay alive. New York will continue to do everything we can to keep our young people safe on the subways”.
Based on research led by NYCPS and students at the High School of Art & Design, the MTA developed a new campaign featuring illustrated comics telling the stories of characters whose lives have been affected by subway surfing. Nigel Sylvester serves as the campaign’s ambassador and a positive role model for kids looking for safer, thrilling alternatives to dangerous behavior.
In addition to the comics, Nigel Sylvester and a group of students from high schools throughout the city recorded announcements explaining the dangers of riding outside of trains. Eight announcements, recorded in both English and Spanish, will be heard throughout the transit system beginning this week.
“Subway surfing is not a game – it can have deadly consequences that ripple across entire communities. I want to thank NYC Public Schools for their support in raising awareness about the dangers and implore parents to speak with their children about this serious issue”, said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber.
According to an MTA press release, “the campaign follows several kids who face the choice of whether they will subway surf. Comic book panels depict each character at school, at home, and with friends. Later installments shift focus to the circle of people who are affected by the characters’ decisions, including their parents, friends, and EMS and MTA employees. Sylvester’s image appears at the bottom of every strip next to the campaign’s slogan and overarching message”.
The MTA continues to work with social media companies including Meta/Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok to remove videos of people riding outside of trains. Year to date, more than 1,800 videos have been taken down.
Representatives from New York City Transit continue to meet with students and school administrators to ensure students are learning about the dangers of riding outside of train cars. The NYPD also has officers deployed at stations where subway surfing has been known to take place and makes home visits with young people who have been known to participate in subway surfing.
In September 2023, the MTA unveiled a multi-channel public information campaign against subway surfing in partnership with the New York Police Department, New York City Public Schools, and the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development. The campaign was designed and spoken by New York City teenagers – putting the youth voice front and center in a peer-to-peer effort to deter this dangerous behavior among young people.
“As a proud native of Queens, I’m both honored and motivated to partner with the MTA and NYC Public Schools to raise awareness about the dangers of subway surfing—an issue that has deeply affected communities across our beloved New York City. BMX riding gave me a powerful outlet to express my creativity and dedicate myself to something meaningful. That passion ultimately led to my success as a professional athlete. I hope to inspire the next generation to explore sports like BMX as a way to grow, build discipline, and unlock their full potential”, said Professional BMX athlete, entrepreneur and philanthropist Nigel Sylvester.
“This partnership is exactly the kind of collaborative approach to reach our students with messages that resonate. Our students deserve every opportunity to thrive and grow into their full potential – and that means keeping them safe. I’m hopeful that this campaign will help more young people make safer choices that don’t put their lives at risk”, New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos said.
