John Raskin, the co-founder of the Riders Alliance, a public transit advocacy group that has long been applying public pressure on elected officials , is stepping down after nearly eight years at the group’s helm.

Riders Alliance has helped usher in some of the city’s biggest subway victories — the introduction of the Fair Fares program, which offers half-price MetroCards to New Yorkers with incomes below the federal poverty line; congestion pricing, a plan to raise money for the subway; and the hashtag #CuomosMTA, tying Governor Cuomo to the system he runs.

And while Mr. Raskin says we’re still far away from an optimized system , now, he says, is as good a time as ever to step down and make way for a new leader.

We caught up with him this week. His answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Why are you leaving?

In order for an organization to succeed for the long term, it should not be too reliant on any one individual leader. And this is a good time for me to move on. We’re coming off some recent successes that will make a difference in riders’ lives.