The results of the Spring 2025 Customers Count survey are in
The Spring 2025 biannual Customers Count survey was conducted from April 21 to May 4, 2025. The survey received over 94,000 respondents. We received more than 90,000 subway line, 46,000 bus route, and 5,000 Access-a-Ride evaluations from over 80,000 New York City Transit customers. The LIRR heard from over 17,000 respondents, and Metro-North from over 17,000 as well.
The survey targeted customers who use any of our modes of transit: subways, buses, commuter rail, the Staten Island Railway, and Access-a-Ride Paratransit. The survey was offered in nine languages, and included a phone option.
The goal of the survey was to get feedback from our customers on their satisfaction levels and to identify changes compared to previous reporting periods. We also sought to gain a deeper understanding about key drivers of customer satisfaction that influence customer behaviors as well as feedback on their satisfaction with service, our staff, cleanliness, security, and more.
Hearing directly from our customers lets us better understand their biggest concerns and prioritize issues that we need to address, with the goal of bringing more customers back to our subways, buses, and trains.
Here are some of our findings
Subway
Subway satisfaction increased in the Spring 2025 Customers Count survey to 57%, an eight-point increase from the Fall 2024 survey. This marks the highest level of overall subway satisfaction since the inception of this survey in Spring 2022. The overall increase in satisfaction is driven by gains in service reliability, up six points from Fall 2024 to 60%, and waiting time, up five points to 57%. Customers continue to feel safe in the system: 57% feel safe on trains, up one point from Fall 2024; 54% in stations, an increase of three points; and 48% on subway platforms, an increase of two points.
Bus
Overall Local, Limited and Select Bus customer satisfaction is 64%, up from 53% in Fall 2024 and exceeding 60% for the first time since Spring 2023. Select Bus Service (SBS) satisfaction is 68%, up from 59% in Fall 2024. At the borough level, satisfaction increased in all five boroughs to 72% in Manhattan, up 7 points; 68% in Queens, up 12 points; 61% in Brooklyn, up 11 points; 60% in the Bronx, up 13 points; and 55% in Staten Island, up 11 points. Customer satisfaction increased in all important service-related attributes, including waiting times, travel times, service reliability, and crowding. Over the past six months, 48% of customers say they or someone they know saw a fare inspector or the NYPD enforcing fare payment.
Access-a-Ride
In Spring 2025, Access-A-Ride switched to a separate, standalone monthly survey. This allows customers to provide feedback not only about their experience over the last month, but also about their most recent trip.
In June 2025, overall Access-A-Ride satisfaction remained stable at 78%, comparable to May's 78% and April's 79%. Customers' satisfaction with their last trip was 84% in June, also consistent with 85% in May and 86% in April. In June, 80% of customers were were satisfied with on-time pickup, 80% with on-time drop off, 81% with travel time, and 85% with driver courtesy. Satisfaction remains high for both trips operated by broker services, at 84%, or dedicated AAR vehicles, at 83%.
Long Island Rail Road
Customer satisfaction with the Long Island Rail Road continued to increase significantly in Spring 2025. Overall satisfaction on the LIRR reached 81%, a five-point increase from Fall 2024 and equal to the satisfaction level in Fall 2022, prior to the opening of Grand Central Madison. A focus on on-time performance through Jamaica was a key factor contributing to the increase. Overall satisfaction is 69% among customers who always transfer, a six-point increase from Fall 2024. Satisfaction also increased with key attributes including peak and off-peak service frequency, service reliability, and on-time performance. Satisfaction with safety also increased, with satisfaction with safety from crime or harassment on board increasing three points to 89% and in stations up two points to 81%.
Customers continue to notice the added focus on restroom cleanliness, with satisfaction with restroom cleanliness on board increasing seven points to 52%.
Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North continues to be the highest-rated agency with 89% of customers reporting being very satisfied or satisfied with Metro-North overall, an increase from 85% in Fall 2024. Satisfaction increased across all lines, up four points to 90% on the Hudson Line, four points to 89% on the Harlem Line, and five points to 89% on the New Haven Line. Key drivers in increased satisfaction include peak and off-peak service frequency and seat availability.
