Subway Ridership Drops Again in New York

A system in disrepair is losing riders when it could use the fare box revenue the most.

1 minute read

August 7, 2018, 8:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


New York Subway

stockelements / Shutterstock

"In another alarming sign of the crisis plaguing New York City’s subway, ridership dropped for the second year in a row as passengers flee the system for Uber and other ride-hailing services, draining the transit system of badly needed revenue," reports Emma G. Fitzsimmons.

"Annual subway ridership fell in 2017 to about 1.73 billion trips, down about 2 percent from 2015, according to statistics from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and subway officials said ridership continues to slip, falling during the first five months of this year by about 2 percent," adds Fitzsimmons.

It was as recent as 2015 that ridership numbers of the New York subway were soaring to heights not seen since the 1940s. Now, the City Council is considering legislation that would cap the number of ride-hailing vehicles in the city, in a move that could return some riders to the public transit system.

Wednesday, August 1, 2018 in The New York Times

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