New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday that the New York City Subway set a new record for pandemic-era single-day ridership.
On Thursday, May 5, Hochul said, the subway carried 3,497,122 riders, beating the previous record of 3.42 million set on Dec. 9, 2021. The figure surpasses a pre-pandemic figure of 3.491 million set on March 13, 2020.
“As we continue our comeback from the pandemic and remain laser-focused on making our subways safer, we are turning the corner on subway ridership,” Hochul said. “The subway is the lifeblood of New York City, and this new milestone sends a strong message that New York is back and better than ever.”
MTA recently implemented a fare-capping pilot program to make fares more affordable and flexible to encourage ridership. The cap on weekly fares, through the OMNY contactless payment system, includes a “Lucky 13” feature, which makes all rides after the 13th ride of each week free for the rest of the week.
The MTA said it is continuing to clean and disinfect the subway to make it as safe as possible for its customers.
“New York City Transit is working around the clock to improve service, upgrade the system, and encourage riders to come back to public transit,” New York City Transit President Richard Davey said. “Optimal service, increasing frequency of trains, and maintaining strong on-time performance are our main focuses as we continue to hire train operators and bolster the transit system for the returning ridership. New Yorkers are returning to public transit because they know it is the most efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective way to move around the city.”