NYCT subway daily ridership breaks pandemic-era record

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) reported that New York City Transit (NYCT) registered 2,516,027 subway riders on June 16, the highest figure since COVID-19 struck New York in March 2020 and 44% of pre-pandemic ridership. 

NYCT's subway passenger counts recently reached 2.4 million on June 10, 2.38 million on June 9, 2.35 million on May 27, 2.27 million on May 14, and 2.24 million on May 7. 

"The subway is a reflection of New York City at large, and more people moving around means more people are taking the subway," said Demetrius Crichlow, NYCT's executive vice president of subways, in a news release. "To hit the 2.5 million mark at the start of the summer only makes us more optimistic about hitting major ridership milestones and reaching a full recovery.”" 

Prior to the pandemic, average weekday ridership totals routinely exceeded 5.5 million in the subway system. That figure fell by more than 90% to a low of about 300,000 daily trips in April 2020 as the number of COVID-19 cases peaked in the New York City area.