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Subway Ridership Went Down In 2016
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 24, 2017
Modified Apr 2, 2018
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 24, 2017
Modified Apr 2, 2018
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Weekend subway service is notoriously crappy and confusing. Of course, this makes sense. Track maintenance and other upkeep needs to happen, and it makes sense that work take place when it disrupts the fewest number of commuters. Still, it's possible months of D trains transforming into F trains transforming into A trains has put off riders—the Times reports that subway ridership has been declining on the weekends, with straphangers potentially swapping out wonky weekend service for private cars and apps like Uber and Lyft.
Indeed, the MTA announced this week that annual ridership decreased slightly last year, marking the first time it's done so since 2009. Though weekday ridership is the highest its been since 1948, weekend ridership decreased by around 3 percent. Acting MTA chairman Fernando Ferrer admitted delays and weekend service changes could be turning folks off the trains, especially considering the rising popularity of convenient, and occasionally cheaper, ride-share apps like Uber and Lyft.
"It may be all of the above," Ferrer told reporters. "I’m very glad that our ridership is at historic highs. If it declines a little bit — and I’ve seen those numbers, and it’s a little bit — there is no reason for alarm."
For the last few years, the subways have seen rapidly increasing ridership, which, coupled with simultaneously increasing delays, hasn't been super fun for commuters. So it sounds like a decrease in ridership could be a good thing—but apparently this is bad news for both traffic and population/economic growth.
"The secret to success in New York City over the last 20 years is the transit system’s ability to absorb the growth in travel from population and economic growth," Bruce Schaller, a former senior official at the city’s Transportation Department, told the Times. "If all that growth translated into more use of private cars or taxis and Ubers, it’s not a sustainable way to grow the city."
Schaller told the Times that Uber and other ride-hailing apps tripled their ridership from June 2015 to October 2016, which coincides with the small decrease in subway ridership.
It's also possible New Yorkers are turning to other transit options, considering the state of the subways. Citi Bike expanded last year, and set a new ridership record with 14 million trips. Bus ridership also dropped in 2016.
The MTA has not responded to request for comment.
Tagged
MTA
subway
Rebecca Fishbein
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