MTA metrics up in key categories throughout first half of 2025
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) says New York City Transit (NYCT), Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad (Metro-North) ridership and on-time performance have all improved in the first half of the year while customer satisfaction rates are up across all agencies. MTA says the success comes as it executes the 2025-2029 Capital Plan and invests in state-of-good-repair work that will ensure the system continues to run reliably and safely for generations to come.
The authority notes safety in the subway system continues to improve, with overall major crimes dropping by 3.2 percent from the same period in 2024 and by almost 10 percent when compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
“MTA ridership, performance and safety are all improving dramatically in 2025, serving nearly six million New Yorkers every day and keeping New York moving,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “Thanks to the investments we’re making in safer, more reliable and more frequent service, riders are benefitting every day. When transit is thriving, New York is thriving.”
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber added, “The new MTA is a business-like organization that delivers for customers and the proof is in the data – soaring ridership, historic levels of on-time performance and major improvements in customer satisfaction.”
During the past several years, Gov. Hochul and the MTA have increased service across the MTA network. In 2023 and 2024, weekend and off-peak weekday service was increased on 12 subway lines, reducing wait times for millions of customers. The opening of Grand Central Madison in 2023 enabled a 41 percent increase in service on the LIRR. MTA notes bus service has improved across the city: service was increased on eight express and 15 local routes with high ridership earlier this year, following the launch of congestion pricing.
According to the authority, the Queens Bus Network Redesign, which began its first phase June 29, expands 24-hour service to hundreds of thousands of Queens bus riders and includes a $35 million annual investment in more service for the borough.
NYCT
In the first half of 2025, MTA notes performance across NYCT was at historic highs. Weekday subway on-time performance in the first six months of 2025 was 83.7 percent, 2.4 percentage points higher than the same time last year and on track for the best non-pandemic year in recorded history. Weekday subway delays are down 11 percent in 2025 compared to 2024 while weekend delays were down 14 percent. Bus service delivery was above 95 percent each month of 2025, and bus speeds have improved over the first half of the year.
Across the board, the authority says customers are happier. In the biannual customer survey completed this spring, satisfaction for subways rose eight percent, satisfaction for local buses rose 11 percent and satisfaction for express buses rose nine percent compared to fall 2024.
Ridership has also surged in 2025. According to MTA, the first half of the year has seen record post-pandemic ridership for subways, buses and paratransit. In June, NYCT surpassed 106 million rides, up 10 percent from 2024, as well as 2025 subway ridership is up eight percent compared to 2024 and 31 percent compared to 2022.
The authority notes ridership gains have continued, with the first post-pandemic July days to exceed four million subway riders. Bus ridership has also grown in 2025, with ridership up 12 percent compared to 2024. MTA says bus paid ridership has grown in part following its efforts to improve fare compliance through targeted deployments of fare enforcement teams. Combined, buses and subways have carried over 850 million customers in the first half of 2025.
According to MTA, paratransit has also continued to see huge ridership and performance gains. In June, paratransit served 1.3 million riders on 904,000 completed trips, both above previous pre-pandemic peaks, and delivered an on-time performance rate of 92 percent for the month. Customer satisfaction has remained high, with rates staying above 78 percent every month of 2025.
LIRR and Metro-North
In June, LIRR hit a new post-pandemic high for weekday riders by averaging 266,047 weekday riders. On June 18, LIRR set a new single day post-pandemic ridership record, carrying 287,437 customers. LIRR carried 6.9 million customers in June, representing 89 percent of pre-pandemic ridership — the best June since 2019.
MTA notes year-to-date ridership on LIRR is up nine percent compared to 2024 and up 64 percent from 2022. LIRR also achieved the best June non-pandemic on-time performance in its history at 95.9 percent, up 1.4 percentage points from 2024.
On June 18, Metro-North carried nearly 259,000 riders and average weekday ridership for the month of June was 235,450, both new post-pandemic highs. Year-to-date Metro-North ridership is up six percent compared to 2024 and up 63 percent compared to 2022.
MTA says Metro-North delivered an on-time performance rate of 98 percent in June. In the customer survey completed this spring, Metro-North received a satisfaction rating of 89 percent from customers, an increase of four percent from the fall 2024 survey, while satisfaction among LIRR customers surged 11 percentage points from this time last year.
“NYC Transit is working hard to deliver fast, reliable and safe service for riders and that determination is reflected in these historic on-time performance and ridership numbers,” said NYCT President Demetrius Crichlow. “We’ll keep up the momentum and build on this success across subways, buses and paratransit as we head into the rest of the year.”
LIRR President Rob Free added, “Not only do riders have more service options than ever before, but we’re getting them where they need to go more reliably with record levels of on-time performance. The big gains we’ve made in customer satisfaction prove that riders are noticing our commitment to great service, and we will work even harder to improve the customer experience.”