Governor Hochul Announces Subway Ridership Surpasses 4 Million Riders in Single Day

 

Subways Carry Over 4 Million Paid Riders for First Time Since March 12, 2020

Subway OMNY Taps Hit Single-Day Record with 1.69 Million Taps

Metro-North Railroad Sets Three-Day Average Ridership Record

 Governor Hochul today announced that New York City subway recorded 4,002,961 paid rides on Thursday, April 20. The last time the subways carried more than 4 million riders was March 12, 2020, when 4.1 million New Yorkers rode the subway. OMNY, the Authority’s contactless fare payment system, also set a single-day subway record with 1,699,914 taps, accounting for 42.5 percent of all paid rides.

“The MTA is the lifeblood of this city, and New York State has made critical investments in our subways to improve the rider experience,” Governor Hochul said. “Surpassing four million riders for the first time since the start of the pandemic is a testament to the resiliency of New Yorkers and the importance of supporting the nation’s largest transit system.”

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “I'm grateful to our Governor who is leading the effort to fund mass transit so that we can continue to provide safe, reliable and frequent service for all New Yorkers. At the height of the pandemic, ridership dropped by 90 percent, but we kept the system running full tilt to make sure that essential workers could get to hospitals, pharmacies, grocery stores and distribution centers. This record is a testament to the resilience of New Yorkers and a reminder that mass transit is the lifeblood of this city.”

OMNY’s Continued Growth

OMNY continues to grow in market share among New York City Transit customers, with the first one million tap day reached in April of 2022. The MTA reached the 500 million total OMNY tap milestone in September of 2022 when a customer tapped in at Grand Central Terminal. OMNY has now processed cards issued in 192 of the 195 countries that issue bank cards.

OMNY customers now consistently comprise nearly half of all subway riders, with a 42.5 percent market share of paid rides. Nearly 100 percent of all OMNY transactions are made on customers’ own personal devices or cards, making the MTA unique among North American transit systems.

In October, OMNY was rolled out to Reduced-Fare customers, who can now make the switch from MetroCard to riding with their personal device or contactless card. Reduced-Fare customers can make the switch from MetroCard to OMNY seamlessly online with the OMNY digital assistant, which is available 24/7 at OMNY.info.