Subways Carried 4.02 Million Riders on Wednesday, May 3, Highest Single-Day Number Since March 2020
Access-A-Ride Sets Post-Pandemic Record on Same Day, with Nearly 31,000 Booked Trips on May 3, Highest Since March 2020
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that the New York City subway recorded 4,020,991 paid rides on Wednesday, May 3. This marked the third time in three weeks that 4 million riders used the subway to get to work, school, or other destinations, after reaching the post-pandemic milestone on Thursday, April 20. A week later, subways carried 4 million riders on Thursday, April 27. Prior to the April 20 milestone, the last time the subways carried more than 4 million riders was March 12, 2020, when 4.1 million New Yorkers rode the subway.
In addition to the record on the rails, on Wednesday, May 3, 30,850 customers used New York City Transit’s Access-A-Ride paratransit service, which is a new post-pandemic record. The nearly 31,000-trip record is the highest single-day total since March 2020. Combined with the 30,449 booked trips on May 4, Access-A-Ride set a post-pandemic two-day record. The record comes as Access-A-Ride has made booking trips easier than ever, with customers now able to do so online. Customers can learn more at new.mta.info/myaar.
“To hit the 4 million mark on a single day for the third straight week is a vote of confidence in the system,” said New York City Transit President Richard Davey. “New York City Transit will continue to focus on improving the customer experience through renovating stations, enhancing customer service at stations and looking at creative ways to provide faster, cleaner and safer service.”
“Access-A-Ride has made strides in improving the customer experience, and the response has been a record number of booked trips,” said MTA Vice President for Paratransit Chris Pangilinan. "Paratransit enables all New Yorkers to have access to public transportation, and we are making it easier than ever to book your trip online. Customers can learn more through new.mta.info/myaar.”
OMNY's Continued Growth
OMNY customers now consistently comprise nearly half of all subway riders, with a 42.5 percent market share of paid rides. Nearly 100 percent of all OMNY transactions are made on customers' own personal devices or cards, making the MTA unique among North American transit systems.
OMNY recorded its first one millionth tap in April 2022. The MTA reached the 500 million total OMNY tap milestone in September 2022 when a customer tapped in at Grand Central Terminal. OMNY has now processed cards issued in 192 of the 195 countries that issue bank cards.
In October, OMNY was rolled out to Reduced-Fare customers, who can now make the switch from MetroCard to riding with their personal device or contactless card. Reduced-Fare customers can make the switch from MetroCard to OMNY seamlessly online with the OMNY digital assistant, which is available 24/7 at OMNY.info.