New York City’s subway system surpassed four million riders for three consecutive summer days for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday announced that from Tuesday, July 15 through Thursday, July 17, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority recorded 4,046,610, 4,029,692, and 4,121,751 riders, respectively—the last figure marking a new post-pandemic summer ridership high. The milestone came during the same week as near record-breaking rainfall on Monday, July 14, with transit crews working overnight to quickly restore service.
The MTA has now surpassed four million subway riders on seven days over the past three weeks, starting at the end of the school year. This figure was first reached during the summer on June 25 and 26, followed by July 9 and 10, and most recently from July 17 through 19.
The rise in ridership comes as the city’s public transit system shows strong signs of recovery and performance improvements. On July 14, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the MTA is on track to post its best on-time performance on record. According to the agency, both ridership and punctuality have improved across NYC Transit, the Long Island Rail Road, and Metro-North Railroad during the first half of 2025.
Customer satisfaction has also increased across all three systems. Meanwhile, major subway crimes are down 3.2 percent compared to the same period last year, and nearly 10 percent lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
“We’re delivering a transit system that is safer and more reliable, and New Yorkers have responded by riding in record numbers,” Hochul said. “Transit is the lifeblood of New York City, it powers our economy and makes city life possible for millions. When ridership is on the rise, New York is on the rise.”
This summer is also the first in which New York City students can take advantage of expanded access through their student OMNY cards, which were first distributed last September. Unlike the previous MetroCards that were limited to school days, the new OMNY cards are valid 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round—even during school breaks.
Alongside ridership gains, the OMNY tap-and-go system continues to grow in popularity. During the week of July 14, 75 percent of riders tapped their phones, contactless debit or credit cards, or OMNY cards to pay their fares, up from 67 percent in March 2025.
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