NYC transit users had quite a ride in 2024. From congestion pricing to overcrowded buses and OMNY expansions, there was enough going on this year to keep NYC’s wheels in motion.
Congestion pricing: The ongoing street saga
NYC will ring in 2025 with congestion pricing going into effect on Jan. 5. But the controversial program, designed to limit and charge vehicles as they enter Manhattan’s most traffic-laden areas, has had a bumpy ride.
After the feds gave approval to the MTA to implement the program on June 30, Gov. Kathy Hochul ruffled some feathers by pausing it on June 5, citing the toll would bring “added burdens” to working- and middle-class families.
But her compassion did not last long, as she revived the program just five months later, on Nov. 18. The result, in addition to several pro-congestion pricing lawsuits, was a 40% reduction on the toll, as most motorists will now pay $9 instead of the original $15, at least to start. The toll is not expected to be raised above $9 before 2027, nor above $12 before 2030.
The MTA remains steadfast that congestion pricing will help pay for various public transportation improvement projects, including the Second Avenue Subway, replacing older subway signals that frequently fail, rolling out new rail cars, and adding more accessibility to the subway system.
Starting Jan. 5, the MTA will charge vehicles entering Manhattan south of and including 60th Street a toll that starts at $9 but varies based on the type of vehicle, time of day and other factors.
Meanwhile, the success of congestion pricing remains to be seen.
Parents protest: Student OMNY card program restricts kids from free public transit
NYC’s 1.1 million public school kids kicked off the 2024-2025 school year with free OMNY cards, replacing the MetroCard they have used on subways and buses for decades.
But parents were outraged after learning the school OMNY card program, which came with additional benefits such as more free rides and all-day access, excluded students who live less than a half mile from their designated school.
NYC Council Member Keith Powers led the charge, saying parents in his Manhattan district felt slighted that their kids were left out of the free transportation program.
“We made a lot of progress trying to solve for this in the past, but we’re still hearing from families whose children aren’t receiving an OMNY card like their classmates are that can be used not only to get to school, but to get to after-school events, cultural activities or can be used on the weekends,” Powers said in September.
A NYC Department of Education spokesperson said the agency appreciates all feedback” from families and school communities as they continue to review options for future access to OMNY.
To date, the policy remains unchanged, with only students who live a half-mile or further away from their school being eligible for the student OMNY card program.
Bye, bye commemorative MetroCards
The MTA said good-bye to promotional MetroCards this year, another big step in transitioning New Yorkers from the cardthey’re most familiar with to the new tap-and-go OMNY system.
The last commemorative MetroCards went on sale this December featuring iconic New York content creators. The MTA partnered with Instagram to sell 75,000 of the limited edition cards in 12 city subway stations, including Union Square and Penn Station in Manhattan.
Strapangers can still use MetroCards going into 2025, as a date for its official retirement is yet to be determined.
New Yorkers power up support — and opposition — to e-vehicles
While subways made subterranean headlines this year, e-vehicles stirred up news above ground.
The Adams Administration continued its crackdown on what some New Yorkers called a “plague” of recklessly driven e-vehicles, as police seized more than 20,000 “illegal, two-wheeled motorized scooters and all-terrain vehicles” by the end of August, according to an NYPD press release.
New Yorkers had grown so frustrated with e-vehicle riders who recklessly drive on sidewalks and against traffic laws that they held a rally outside City Hall by the end of the year. City Council Member Robert Holden led the gathering on Dec. 11, where he highlighted “Priscilla’s Law,” a bill he introduced that would require the city to license of mopeds and e-bikes.
“This bill is long overdue,” he said at the rally. “Other cities around the world have done this. Some cities even ban e-bikes from their downtown areas because they know the danger. And to get them to stop, you need accountability.”
But not all New Yorkers supported Priscilla’s Law, which has yet to pass the council. After Holden’s rally and subsequent City Council hearing, Immigrant and hospitality advocacy groups doubled down on their protection of e-vehicle riders. The advocates cited multiple reasons for roadblocking the bill. Some say it has the potential to pose an undue burden on restaurants. Others cite that it could result in unjust criminalization of immigrants in NYC, many of whom use e-vehicles to earn a living.
Subway crime and fare evasion
The subways infamously rang in 2024 with several high-profile crimes, including the Feb. 12 mass shooting at the Bronx’s Mount Eden Avenue stop on the 4 line that left a man dead and at least five others hurt. And less than a month earlier, 45-year-old Richard Henderson was shot dead when bullets rang out on a Manhattan-bound 3 train on Jan. 14.
After a deadly start to the new year, the NYPD responded by flooding the subway system with up to 1,000 officers each day. Hochul also took charge in March when she added 750 National Guard troops and nearly 300 MTA officers to trains in an effort to limit crime and keep guns out of the transit system.
The extra enforcement paid off, as crime dramatically fell by June. The downward trend continued well through the second half of the year, with the NYPD marking 10 straight months of crime reduction. In early November, the department boasted 112 fewer violent crimes year to date compared to 2023: 1,785 vs. 1,897.
Police also credited a crackdown on fare evaders with improving safety in the subways. Fare evasion is not only expected to cost the MTA $800 million in revenue in upcoming years but is also a conduit to crime. By late June, cops had made 33 gun arrests in transit—up from 18 in 2023, an 83% increase, according to NYPD statistics.
Despite the continued drop in subway crime, Hochul decided during the holiday season to add 250 more members of the National Guard to the subways, which she said was needed to give riders a better “sense of security” while commuting.
