Governor Hochul Announces New York City Subway Sets Ridership Record on December 9

Subways Reach 3.93 Million Riders on a Single Day for First Time Since March 2020
OMNY Sets Single Day Record for Subway Taps on Consecutive Days, with More Than 1.5 Million Taps Each Day.

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority set a pandemic-era subway ridership record yesterday, Thursday, December 8, with 3,925,280 riders, topping the previous record set on Thursday, October 27. The last time the subways carried more than 3.9 million riders was March 12, 2020.

OMNY also set a record for subway taps, setting single-day records for taps on consecutive days with 1,514,837 taps on Wednesday, December 7, and 1,561,846 taps on Thursday December 8. The records surpass the previous high, which was also set on October 27.

«This ridership record is proof that our recovery is on track,» Governor Hochul said. «Whether it’s tourists coming back to New York or local residents going out to enjoy holiday attractions, the energy and vitality of this city, above and below ground, is back.»

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, «New Yorkers keep coming back to the subway.  Why?  Because it’s the best way to get around – to jobs, education, health care, theater, music, everything New York has to offer. The trends back up everything I’ve been saying about the need to keep transit fully funded so service can be maintained and improved as New York continues its rebound.»

New York City Transit President Richard Davey said, «NYC Transit has been working hard to deliver what subway customers have been asking for: faster, cleaner and safer service. As customers continue to return to transit this holiday season and in to 2023, the 47,000 men and women of NYC Transit will be ready to provide the best service New Yorkers expect.»

OMNY usage continues to surge across the New York City Transit system. Currently, about 40 percent of subway riders are paying via OMNY. On September 15, the MTA recorded the 500-millionth OMNY tap at Grand Central Terminal. Following its debut in 2019 as a pilot phase to the public, the rollout of the contactless system was completed in December 2020. All of the MTA’s 472 subway stations and 5,800 buses are now equipped with approximately 15,000 OMNY readers.

The MTA  the expansion of OMNY to Reduced-Fare customers in October, becoming the first major transit system to offer reduced fares on personal payment devices. In just four days, more than 1,300 Reduced-Fare customers made the switch from MetroCard to OMNY, bringing the total to nearly 2,800 total Reduced-Fare customers using OMNY, which includes the soft launch participants.