It’s a crazy time for transit news in New York right now. There’s the not-so-diplomatic outreach from the U.S. Department of Transportation on subway safety. The State budget deadline has come and gone without a resolution on our $68.4 billion 2025-2029 Capital Plan, and the mayoral election is heating up with candidates throwing around all kinds of ideas for transit.
All we can do is stay focused and keep moving forward – and, with continued support from Gov. Kathy Hochul, we’re having real success. Not that you’ll read about it in much of the tabloid press.
Ridership is up to 6 million customers a day across all agencies—subways, buses, paratransit, and commuter rail. Service has been continually improving, especially on buses, since the start of congestion pricing. Speeds are up systemwide, and in the Congestion Relief Zone, we’re experimenting with removing scheduled time points so that buses can move as quickly as the racing traffic. Knicks legend Clyde Frazier said as much himself in a recent broadcast.
Subway’s on-time performance (OTP) routinely beats goals, nowhere more so than the Rockaways. Our replacement shuttle is hitting 99% OTP while we are scheduled to complete a major rehabilitation project on the peninsula. Residents and local elected officials are giving us high marks.
As we told U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in our comprehensive response to his letter, crime is down systemwide—20% compared to last year and 40% compared to January and February 2020, right before the pandemic.
I am the first to say we have a way to go before riders feel as safe as they ought to, but the stats don’t lie. Progress has been made thanks to Governor Hochul’s investments in overnight patrols and the NYPD’s smart policing, led by Commissioner Tisch.
Subway fare evasion also continues to trend downward – 30% since summer 2024 thanks to our MTA gate guards, physical changes to turnstiles, and increased enforcement.
I can keep going with the good news – we have a new, easier-to-read subway map; MetroCard sales will end before the new year, clearing the way for new discounts made possible by contactless fare payment; the Queens Bus Network Redesign, which is investing $35 million to transform service in New York’s most bus reliant borough, is imminent; and Metro-North customers traveling to New Haven are saving as much as 25 minutes each way thanks to new schedules.
The bottom line is that no matter the noise or snark, the new MTA will keep delivering for New Yorkers.
Janno Lieber is MTA Chair and CEO.
