NEW YORK — July 22, 2025 — For the first time since the start of the pandemic, NYC subway system has crossed four million riders on three consecutive summer weekdays, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Governor Kathy Hochul announced that July 15, 16, and 17 marked a major milestone in transit recovery, with daily ridership numbers topping 4 million — the highest summer weekday levels seen since 2019.
According to MTA data, subway ridership reached:
4,046,610 on Tuesday, July 15
4,121,751 on Wednesday, July 16
4,029,692 on Thursday, July 17
The Wednesday figure also set a new post-pandemic summer ridership record.
The achievement came despite a near-record rainfall earlier in the week on Monday, July 14, which disrupted parts of the system. Crews worked overnight to restore services, ensuring minimal delays for the Tuesday commute.
Governor Hochul praised the milestone, stating, “We’re delivering a transit system that is safer and more reliable, and New Yorkers have responded by riding in record numbers. Transit is the lifeblood of New York City… When ridership is on the rise, New York is on the rise.”
This summer’s high ridership numbers have also been fueled by the expanded use of Student OMNY cards, which became active 24/7 year-round beginning last September. This is the first summer students have been able to use the cards outside of the school year, making the subway more accessible for young New Yorkers.
The MTA reports that the four million daily rider mark has now been reached seven times in just three weeks — a frequency not seen since pre-pandemic years. Prior instances this summer include June 25, June 26, July 9, and July 10.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber credited the success to ongoing improvements: “New Yorkers are demonstrating their confidence in the MTA’s faster and more reliable transit, voting with their taps to get around the City this summer. And thanks to Governor Hochul’s investments… we’re achieving post-pandemic ridership records every week.”
New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow echoed the sentiment, noting that the capital plan is bringing “new train cars, more accessible stations, and computerized signals” to improve service speed and reliability in the months and years ahead.
The popularity of OMNY’s tap-and-go fare payment also continues to rise. The MTA reports that during the week of July 14, 75% of riders used contactless payment methods — up from 67% just four months ago.
As ridership surges and infrastructure investments continue, the MTA says it’s on track for a record-breaking year not just in ridership, but also in system performance.
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