Speaker Johnson and Public Advocate Williams Release Results of Bus and Subway Rider Surveys

  City Council Speaker Corey Johnson joined newly elected Public Advocate Jumaane Williams to share the results of two transit rider surveys Speaker Johnson conducted as Acting Public Advocate. The results – available online here – revealed firsthand insights on the types of frustrations New Yorkers face when navigating our subways and buses. Speaker Johnson and Public Advocate Williams vowed to keep fighting for better transportation options for all five boroughs.

“It’s no secret that I’ve had a lot to say about the City’s mass transit system recently, but I think it is vital that the voices of the riders never get left out of conversations on how to solve our mass transit crisis,” said Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “New Yorkers who ride the subways and buses every day know better than most that something needs to change, and I hope their answers to these surveys add to the chorus of voices around our City and throughout our state calling for big ideas and serious solutions to get our trains back on track and our buses moving again. I will never stop fighting to make it easier to get around our City and I will always do so with the concerns of subway and bus riders in mind.”

“The survey results reinforce what many of us experience everyday— the MTA is broken and New Yorkers are ready to see significant improvements,” said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. “I’d like to thank Speaker Johnson who conducted a five borough transit tour during his time as acting Public Advocate to gather these results, and urge the state to make the capital investments needed to get New Yorkers where we need to go on time.”

In January and February, City Council Speaker and Acting Public Advocate Corey Johnson initiated a unique exercise to hear from transit riders about their commutes by conducting two citywide transit surveys. The first focused on subways and the second survey on buses. These surveys, which were available in six different languages, were conducted throughout the City’s train stations and bus stops. The Speaker and Acting Public Advocate and his staff focused on a different borough each day.

Over 10,000 people took part in the subway survey and over 6,000 took part in the bus survey.

The mass transit system has been a growing source of frustration for New Yorkers, many of whom rely on subways and buses as their primary means of transportation. 

Interesting takeaways included:

55% of subway survey respondents saying they experience subway delays a few times a week and 27% saying they experience delays every day;

The delays are lasting significant amounts of time, with 47% of subway survey respondents saying the delays they experience are approximately 10-20 minutes long and 11% saying their delays are approximately 20-45 minutes long;

The greatest concerns for bus riders were infrequent service, lack of reliability, and multiple buses arriving at once (bunching);

Only 6% of bus riders are very satisfied.

The full results of both surveys can be found online here.