On Tuesday, December 27, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that 1 billion customers rode the NYC subway system this year–making it the first time since 2019 that NYC subway ridership surpassed 1 billion.
This milestone marks an increase of 240 million riders as opposed to 2021’s 760 million, and carried 360 million more riders than in 2020. Though this is a massive number, subway ridership numbers still hover at nearly 60% of 2019’s pre-pandemic levels, when our subways would carry upwards of 1.698 billion riders.
According to officials, subway ridership is up 38.6% this year as compared to 2021, and even NYC’s buses are up 13.4% and the LIRR is up 56.9%.
The MTA’s OMNY payment system also grew this year, seeing more than 425 million taps.
“We have been working hard to bring customers back by providing safer, cleaner, and faster service, and hitting one billion riders in 2022 is evidence that our work is paying off,” Governor Hochul said. “New Yorkers and tourists alike continue to flock to the subway, proving there is no better way to get around New York City than mass transit.”
NYC’s subway system is no stranger to the headlines as of recently. The announcement of this milestone comes shortly after NYC Transit announced 2023 subway service adjustments, which will include increased scheduled trips on weekends and a modified Monday and Friday scheduled service to better cater to the system’s current ridership trends.
The MTA also recently announced that their glass token booths will soon be a thing of the past, giving token agents the chance to interact more directly with New Yorkers.