MTA sees record improvement on customer satisfaction survey

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced a record increase in subway customer satisfaction recorded in its Fall 2025 Customers Count survey. The survey saw increases across all key metrics on the subway, including 62% of riders who reported they feel satisfied with the system overall, which is a five-point increase from the spring 2025 survey and the highest percentage since the current Customers Count survey was launched in 2022.

The questionnaire gauged satisfaction levels of 92,269 customers between Oct. 14 and Nov. 2, 2025. Now in its fifth year, the Customers Count survey allows the agency to understand riders’ most significant concerns and prioritize issues that need to be addressed across the MTA network.

“Transit only truly works when our riders have confidence in every part of their journey—on trains, on platforms and in stations,” said New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “The latest Customers Count survey results show that our infrastructure and safety investments are making a real difference in how New Yorkers experience the system. When customers feel secure, they ride more, and that keeps the city moving.”

Customer safety was recorded at record highs, with 63% saying they feel safe on trains. This is a six-point increase from the spring and the highest level reported since the survey began in 2022. 59% feel safe in stations, up from 54% in the spring, while 53% of riders feel safe on subway platforms, a five-point increase from the spring.

For subway riders, 65% said they are satisfied with their train line, up four points from 61% in the spring 2025 survey. The top performing lines all gained from the previous survey—the 7 is at 73%, the G is at 72% and the Q is at 72%. Satisfaction with service reliability is also up two points to 62%. 

Other metrics, including satisfaction with waiting time (59%) and frequency of delays (53%), also saw two-point increases from the spring. Satisfaction with cleanliness on board trains substantially increased from the spring 2025 survey, up 7% from the prior 52%.

“This latest Customers Count survey makes one thing unmistakably clear: the MTA’s investments in the system and schedule are paying off for our riders,” said MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. “The progress we’re seeing in safety, reliability and overall confidence reflects years of focused investment and hard work. We’re building a network that not only meets today’s needs, but also positions New York for decades of future success.”

Overall subway satisfaction increased among subway customers in four boroughs, with 52% of Bronx customers satisfied, up from 46% in the spring. In Brooklyn, 63% of subway customers were satisfied, up from 57% in the spring. Meanwhile, Manhattan saw a five-point increase from the spring, with 65% of subway customers satisfied. 59% of Queens customers were satisfied with the subway overall–a two-point increase from the spring. Staten Island stayed at 79%, consistent with levels reported in the spring 2025 survey.

These survey results reflect what the MTA calls record-breaking 2025 operational performance for the subway system. Subways hit six milestone months with historic on-time performance highs only reached during the pandemic, culminating in the best on-time performance year achieved since modern reliable record keeping began with a weekday on-time performance of 83.7%—a 2.1% increase from 2024. In May 2025, subway weekday on-time performance reached 85.2%, the best single month for performance in history.

“Rider feedback is one of the most powerful tools we use to make meaningful improvements to how we run the MTA’s train, bus and subway operations,” said MTA Chief of Strategic Initiatives Jon Kaufman. “Customers help us focus on where we can further improve across our services–be it for specific stations being cleaner, safer platforms or just more reliable service on certain routes or lines. Listening closely is how we build a system that truly appeals to everyone.”

The subway continues to see record increases in ridership growth, with nearly 1.3 billion rides taken in 2025–up 7% from the previous year. The subway also broke its post-pandemic single-day weekday and weekend ridership records on numerous occasions in 2025, most recently on Dec. 11 with 4.65 million customers.

Buses

Bus ridership satisfaction levels also saw year-over-year increases in the fall 2025 survey. 61% of local, limited and select bus service customers reported satisfaction with overall service, an eight-point increase from fall 2024. Satisfaction with express bus service was 76%, a seven-point increase from the fall 2024 edition. Additionally, satisfaction with service reliability, wait times and frequency of delays improved since the prior survey, with increases of at least nine points across all three measures. Staten Island bus riders also reported a five-point increase in satisfaction to 60%, while satisfaction levels for bus customers in Manhattan was at 69%. Brooklyn and the Bronx customer satisfaction levels stayed above 55%.

Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)

The fall 2025 Customers Count survey also found high satisfaction levels among the commuter railroad compared to the spring 2025 edition. LIRR overall satisfaction levels was at 80%. All branches have overall satisfaction scores above 70%, with most in the mid-70s or higher. City Zone, Port Washington and Far Rockaway all reported satisfaction levels above 80%. Satisfaction with LIRR service reliability remained steady at 86%, as did on-time performance at 83%.

Metro-North Railroad

Overall Metro-North customer satisfaction stayed near record levels at 87%. The Hudson and Harlem Lines were tied for the highest performing lines at 89%. An increased MTA Police Department officer presence in the Metro-North system continues to yield results, with 93% of riders saying they feel safe from crime or harassment on trains and 87% of Metro-North customers report feeling safe inside stations.

Access-A-Ride (AAR)

While AAR was removed from the Customers Count survey in spring 2025, the MTA says it continues to poll approximately 1,500 customers each month in a separate, stand-alone survey. Between September and November 2025, AAR customer satisfaction levels held at 77% as ridership continued to increase at record-setting levels. Last trip satisfaction has also remained steady at 84% for each of those three months.