Latest Customers Count Survey Finds Overall Subway Satisfaction Levels Up 5 Points to 62%; Highest Since Survey Began in 2022
Record Number of Riders Say They Feel Safe on Subway Trains, Platforms and in Stations
Bus Rider Satisfaction Levels Increase from Fall 2024 Survey
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced a record increase in subway customer satisfaction in the Fall 2025 Customers Count survey. The subway system saw increases across all key metrics, with 62% of subway riders reporting they feel satisfied with the system overall, which is a 5-point increase from the Spring 2025 survey, and the highest percentage since the current Customers Count survey was launched in 2022.
The questionnaire, which was offered online in nine languages and included a phone option, gauged satisfaction levels of 92,269 customers between Oct. 14 and Nov. 2, 2025. Now in its fifth year, the Customers Count survey allows the Authority to better understand riders’ most significant concerns and prioritize issues that need to be addressed across the MTA network.
“Transit only truly works when our riders have confidence in every part of their journey — on trains, on platforms, and in stations,” said New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “The latest Customers Count survey results show that our infrastructure and safety investments are making a real difference in how New Yorkers experience the system. When customers feel secure, they ride more, and that keeps the city moving.”
“This latest Customers Count survey makes one thing unmistakably clear: the MTA’s investments in the system and schedule are paying off for our riders,” said MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. “The progress we’re seeing in safety, reliability, and overall confidence reflects years of focused investment and hard work. We’re building a network that not only meets today’s needs but also positions New York for decades of future success.”
“Rider feedback is one of the most powerful tools we use to make meaningful improvements to how we run the MTA’s train, bus and subway operations,” said MTA Chief of Strategic Initiatives Jon Kaufman. “Customers help us focus on where we can further improve across our services – be it for specific stations being cleaner, safer platforms or just more reliable service on certain routes or lines. Listening closely is how we build a system that truly appeals to everyone.”
Customer safety is at record highs, with 63% saying they feel safe on trains. This is a 6-point increase from the Spring and the highest level reported since the survey began in 2022. 59% feel safe in stations, up from 54% in the Spring. 53% of riders feel safe on subway platforms, a five-point increase from the Spring. This is also the first time platform safety was above 50% since the question was introduced in Spring 2023.
65% of subway riders say they are satisfied with their train line, up 4 points from 61% in the Spring 2025 survey. The top performing lines all gained from the previous survey -- the is at 73%, the is at 72% and the is at 72%. Satisfaction with service reliability is also up 2 points to 62%. Other metrics, including satisfaction with waiting time (59%) and frequency of delays (53%) also saw 2 percentage point increases from the Spring. Satisfaction with cleanliness on board trains substantially increased from the Spring 2025 survey, up to 59% from 52%.
Overall subway satisfaction increased among subway customers in four boroughs, with 52% of Bronx customers satisfied, up from 46% in the Spring, and this is the first time Bronx customer satisfaction is over 50%. In Brooklyn, 63% of subway customers were satisfied, up from 57% in the Spring. Manhattan saw a 5-point increase from the Spring, with 65% of subway customers satisfied. 59% of Queens customers were satisfied with the subway overall – a 2-point increase from the Spring. Staten Island remained at 79%, consistent with levels reported in the Spring 2025 survey.
These survey results reflect record-breaking 2025 operational performance for the subway system. Subways hit six milestone months with historic on-time performance highs outside of COVID years, culminating in the best on-time performance year achieved since modern reliable record keeping began with a weekday on-time performance of 83.7% — a 2.1 percentage increase from 2024. In May 2025, subway weekday OTP reached 85.2 percent, the best single month for performance in history.
These on-time performance improvements come as the MTA explores new ways to use data to deliver better and more efficient service by making schedule adjustments based on ridership patterns and other factors. This resulted not only in faster and more frequent service but also 13,000 fewer delays in 2025 compared to 2024. In addition, service was increased service on several lines in 2025, including the and in November and the M in December in conjunction with the / swap.
The subway continues to see record increases in ridership growth, with nearly 1.3 billion rides taken in 2025 - up 7 percent from the previous year. The subway also broke its post-pandemic single-day weekday and weekend ridership records on numerous occasions in 2025, most recently on Dec. 11 with 4.65 million customers. Notably, the MTA celebrated its 1 billionth subway rider of 2025 in mid-October — three weeks earlier than 2024 and nearly three months earlier than 2022.
Buses
Bus ridership satisfaction levels also saw year-over-year increases in the Fall 2025 survey. 61% of Local, Limited and Select Bus Service customers reported satisfaction with overall service, an 8-point increase from the Fall 2024. Satisfaction with Express bus service was 76%, a 7-point increase from the Fall 2024 edition. Additionally, satisfaction with service reliability, wait times, and frequency of delays improved since Fall 2024, with increases of at least 9 points across all three measures. Staten Island bus riders also reported a 5-point increase in satisfaction to 60%, while satisfaction levels for bus customers in Manhattan was at 69%. Brooklyn and the Bronx customer satisfaction levels remained above 55%.
Long Island Rail Road
The Fall 2025 Customers Count survey also found satisfaction levels remained high among commuter railroad, compared to the Spring 2025 edition. Long Island Rail Road overall satisfaction levels was at 80%, and notably respondents’ satisfaction with transfer experience was up 2 points to 69%. All branches have overall satisfaction scores above 70%, with most in the mid-70s or higher. City Zone, Port Washington and Far Rockaway all reported satisfaction levels above 80%. Satisfaction with LIRR service reliability remained steady at 86% as did on-time performance at 83%.
Metro-North Railroad
Overall Metro-North customer satisfaction remains at near record levels at 87%. The Hudson and Harlem Lines were tied for the highest performing lines, with satisfaction at 89%, consistent with the Spring 2025 survey. An increased MTAPD presence in the Metro-North system continues to show results, with 93% of riders saying they feel safe from crime or harassment on board trains, and 87% of Metro-North customers report feeling safe inside stations, consistent with findings in the Spring 2025 survey.
Access-A-Ride
While Access-A-Ride was removed from the Customers Count survey in Spring 2025, the MTA continues to poll approximately 1,500 customers each month in a separate, stand-alone survey. Between September and November 2025, AAR customer satisfaction levels held steady at 77%, even as ridership continues to increase at record-setting levels. Last trip satisfaction has also remained steady at 84% for each of those three months and is consistent with surveys taken in the springtime months.