The New York City Subway has set a new post-pandemic ridership record, surpassing 4.6 million riders on two consecutive days in early December 2025. Governor Kathy Hochul announced that on December 3 and 4, the subway saw 4.61 million and 4.63 million riders respectively, exceeding the previous record of 4.6 million set in October and representing a six percent increase compared to the same dates in 2024.
In addition to higher ridership, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) reported an on-time performance (OTP) rate of 84.4 percent for November, marking it as the best November since the pandemic began. This continues a trend of strong performance throughout 2025, with OTP reaching historic highs in several months.
Governor Hochul attributed these gains to investments in safety and reliability: “The subway is the lifeblood of New York City, and thanks to our investments in safety and reliability, ridership continues to come roaring back,” she said. “We know our work is far from finished, and that’s why we’re investing in new subway cars, upgraded signals and tools like cameras and law enforcement to keep riders safe. The subway is already the best way to get around, and thanks to these investments, we are making it better than ever.”
Recent service improvements have included increased frequency on the A and L lines—reducing wait times for more than 100,000 weekday riders—and upcoming increases during rush hour on the M line starting December 8.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber commented on public transit’s appeal: “No secret: transit is the best way to get around New York. When our subways are safe, frequent and reliable, people will use them more and more. That’s what’s happened and the records are going to keep coming.”
NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow highlighted the connection between reliable service and growing ridership: “Hitting 4.6 million subway riders as we achieve another on-time performance milestone shows once again that when you deliver safe and reliable service riders will take it. We’re determined to carry this momentum into 2026, as we continue to tout all the opportunities available to riders to seamlessly switch to tap and ride.”
The MTA reports that contactless payment adoption has reached about 94 percent across subways and buses through its Tap and Ride system (OMNY). Shanifah Rieara, MTA Chief Customer Officer, noted ongoing efforts as MetroCard sales phase out: “New Yorkers have embraced tap and ride and we’re proud to see that as more and more people return to the city, they are choosing mass transit. As the end of MetroCard sales nears, we are focusing on reaching the remaining 6 percent to make the switch and unlock the benefits and convenience of tap and ride technology.”
To support this transition ahead of MetroCard’s phase-out at year-end—with acceptance ending mid-2026—the MTA recently launched an OMNY Card Giveaway at nine Customer Service Centers where customers can transfer their balances without fees while supplies last. Fourteen additional centers will open by year-end across all boroughs with similar promotions for early visitors.
OMNY card vending machines have been installed at all subway stations citywide—totaling nearly one thousand units—and OMNY cards are now available at over double as many retail locations compared with MetroCards.
The shift away from MetroCards is expected by MTA officials to save at least $20 million annually by reducing production costs as well as expenses associated with machine repairs or cash handling.
