In spite of popular perceptions, crime on many US transit systems is steadily dropping.
Despite recent high-profile incidents that prompted concerns about security on public transit, crime rates on U.S. transit systems are actually dropping, writes Alan Ehrenhalt in Governing.
In New York City, "Transit crimes declined by 14.4 percent between 2019 and 2025. Overall crime on the subways in 2025 recorded its lowest rate in 16 years." Moreover, half of subway crimes happen at just 30 of the system's 472 stations, pointing to relatively easy solutions: increased security and enforcement at those smaller stations with low ridership.
According to Ehrenhalt, "Much of the crime that takes place in large cities is difficult for local governments to control. Transit crime isn’t one of them. You put two officers on each train between 9 at night and 5 in the morning. You light the stations better. You install protective barriers on the platforms to make it much harder for a miscreant to push someone onto the tracks. You put in tougher fare gates to deter turnstile jumping, and you pay more attention to people squeezing through the emergency exits."
Read the full story: Transit Crime Phobia and Statistical Reality
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