Subway ridership is up and transit crime numbers are plummeting as NYC approaches a full year’s worth of large-scale subway safety initiatives, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The governor marked on Thursday the first anniversary of what she called a five-point subway safety plan by spotlighting reductions in NYC transit crimes. The year-old plan kicked off in March 2024 with a massive surge of National Guard soldiers and MTA Police officers into the city’s subway system in response to several high-profile, violent incidents, including three homicides, that shook the city at the start of the year. That came on the heels of an NYPD surge of officers.
Although, at first, New Yorkers were divided about having National Guardsmen present during their everyday commutes, the governor’s team said other more inconspicuous safety measures are still responsible for lowering crime on the rails. These include surveillance cameras in every subway car, police bag checks, and an increase in outreach teams to help homeless or mentally ill New Yorkers who are often found riding the trains.
“By adding uniformed officers to every train, fortifying our transit infrastructure, and expanding mental health outreach, we’ve made real progress in driving down transit crime,” Hochul said. “Working in partnership with law enforcement, district attorneys and mental health experts, we’re working to make the subways safer for every straphanger.”
The ongoing five-point plan utilizes state resources to protect New Yorkers on the subways. The governor’s office described it as not only a boots-on-the-ground effort but also an administrative one.
The plan includes increased coordination between district attorneys and law enforcement and the governor’s call on judges to use their expanded discretion to set bail in an effort to reduce recidivism.
Additionally, throughout the year, about 850 homeless individuals initially seeking shelter on subways were put into permanent housing through the state’s Safe Options Support initiative.
Transit advocacy groups have noticed the results of the safety measures implemented. Brian Fritsch, associate director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, said riders “need and deserve to be safe and feel safe” throughout the MTA system.
“Millions have been exercising their confidence every day with MetroCard swipes and OMNY taps as ridership continues to set post-pandemic records,” Fritsch said. “We’re thankful for Governor Hochul’s continued focus on safety throughout the MTA system and her commitment to ensuring it is affordable, accessible, and reliable for decades to come.”
What do the numbers say?
NYC would be hard-pressed to call the subways crime-free these days. High-profile crimes involving assault, robbery, and other offenses on the trains and platforms continue to make headlines almost every day.
But statistically speaking, major transit crimes are down 29.4% year to date compared to the same time period last year, per NYPD data. The department also reports that transit crime is down 28% compared to the same two-month period in 2019, the year before the pandemic.
Meanwhile, as crime rates drop, trains are getting more crowded, and ridership is increasing. The governor’s office said there were 1.2 billion riders in 2024, with ridership up 7% year to date.
“It’s not a mystery — more cops, more enforcement, and more effective mental health outreach and treatment directly cuts down on transit crime,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “Now we need legal changes proposed by Gov. Hochul that will ensure recidivist criminals aren’t free to keep preying on subway riders.”
Increasing law enforcement presence
Closing out 2024 and heading into 2025, another spate of violent crimes occurred, including the horrific arson homicide of a woman who was burned alive on an F train in Brooklyn. Hochul responded by putting more of the crime-fighting plan into action and assigning more uniformed officers to the trains.
After putting 750 NYPD in transit stations across New York City and an additional 300 in the train cars themselves, subway crime statistics have continued to drop so far this year. The governor’s office explained that the increase in enforcement prioritizes 30 subway stations and transit hubs that account for 50% of crime in the transit system.
The city has also stepped up efforts to help keep subways safe this year. On Jan. 30, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced her own three-point plan to battle subway crime. Per her plan, cops have been assigned to platforms and subway cars, where she said 78% of transit crime takes place. She also highlighted a renewed focus on officers addressing quality-of-life crimes, such as drinking and smoking on the trains.
Now, per both state and city initiatives, more cops are riding the trains, including overnight trains, and about 1,000 National Guardsmen patrol subway entrances throughout the transit system.
“Keeping New Yorkers safe is my top priority – and I’ll never stop working to ensure riders can rely on our subways to safely get wherever they need to go,” the governor said.
Looking ahead
As noted in previous reports, the governor plans to install subway platform edge barriers, paid for by the state, at more than 100 additional stations by the end of 2025.
The state will also invest in modern fare gates in more than 20 stations across the system in 2025 and an additional 20 stations in 2026 to reduce fare evasion, a crime scourge projected to cost the MTA up to $800 million annually.
The Subway Co-Response Outreach Team (SCOUT) effort will expand through a $20 million investment by the end of 2025 to help end the seemingly endless problem of finding housing and treatment for homeless New Yorkers on the trains.
