Subway Ridership Starting to Rise in New York City, but not as Quickly as Car Trips

A noticeable increase in subway ridership has been taking place on subway trains in New York City, but not enough to call it a comeback, yet.

1 minute read

May 21, 2020, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Coronavirus Ridership

Xackery Irving / Shutterstock

"Subway ridership is ticking up slowly but surely, new turnstile data show, but straphangers are still not coming back as fast as drivers," reports Dave Colon from New York City. 

The findings come from Todd Schneider, who provides analysis of publicly available ridership data for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) subway system. The MTA subway system counted 600,952 riders on May 15, the highest number since the system counted 676,556 riders on March 27.

The information comes with a note of caution: the slight increase on the New York subway is nowhere near enough to overcome the system's fiscal emergency, and most of the city is still staying home, so a return to normal is not suddenly imminent. Moreover, the increase in subway ridership is slower than the number of drives returning to the streets in the city. "Up on the streets, vehicle miles traveled rose from 21,630,000 miles on March 30, one week into PAUSE, to 34,240,000 miles on May 8, an increase of 58 percent," according to Colon.

Tuesday, May 19, 2020 in StreetsBlog NYC

Portland Bus Lane

‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland

Portland is redesigning its bus system to respond to the changing patterns of the post-pandemic world—with twin goals of increasing ridership and improving equity.

August 30, 2023 - Mass Transit

An aerial view of Milwaukee’s Third Ward.

Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny

The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.

August 27, 2023 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Conceptual rendering of Rikers Island redevelopment as renewable energy facility

Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?

New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?

August 24, 2023 - Mark McNulty

A rendering of the Utah City master planned, mixed-use development.

700-Acre Master-Planned Community Planned in Utah

A massive development plan is taking shape for lakefront property in Vineyard, Utah—on the site of a former U.S. Steel Geneva Works facility.

August 31 - Daily Herald

A line of cars wait at the drive-thru window of a starbucks.

More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus

Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.

August 31 - The Denver Post

Air pollution is visible in the air around high-rise buildings in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says

Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.

August 31 - Phys.org