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Most NYC subway bathrooms lack basic amenities like toilet seats and soap, audit finds
By
Liam Quigley
Published Feb 3, 2026
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Liam Quigley / Gothamist
By
Liam Quigley
Published Feb 3, 2026
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You might want to hold it until you get home.
The MTA operates 125 public bathrooms in the subways, but an audit published Tuesday found many of the porcelain thrones offered to transit riders lack basic amenities like toilet seats and paper.
Unlucky employees at the MTA inspector general’s office were tasked with combing the subway’s commodes for issues like busted locks or unsanitary conditions. The agency checked out 32 of the bathrooms from December 2024 to April 2025, and reported most of them were at least relatively clean and functional. Five of the facilities were closed for construction or other problems, according to the audit.
But all but four of the bathrooms that were open lacked at least one basic feature, like toilet paper or soap. Others were covered in graffiti or litter. Several had busted locks on the stalls, preventing straphangers from getting any privacy during the most vulnerable moment of their day.
Several bathrooms had metal toilet bowls that lacked toilet seats — a violation of plumbing codes and a potential public health issue, according to the MTA inspector general.
Commuters at the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center station said they try to avoid using the restrooms at all costs.
"Sit on this," the MTA tells New Yorkers.
Courtesy MTA Inspector General
“They should have staff to keep it clean and people also have to do their part,” said Jacqueline Alvarez, a home health aide. “Not throwing, for example, paper on the floor and stuff like that when they use it, obviously.”
Still, a steady stream of brave commuters found their way into the cursed underground bathroom at Atlantic Terminal on Tuesday, though many cracked the door open and peered around before entering to make sure it was safe to enter. Entrants to the men's room were met with the MTA’s finest luxuries, like wholesale hand soap, toilet paper, a toilet seat, and even a working hand dryer.
The network of bathrooms in the subway system began reopening in January 2023 after the MTA shut them all down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In its response to the audit, MTA officials said the agency would work to do a better job communicating with riders about the availability of restrooms and work to install toilet seats in bathrooms that lacked them. An MTA spokesperson said the agency took steps to spiff up the subway bathrooms with tiles, new fixtures, and fresh coats of paint.
“We’re grateful to the inspector general for recognizing this progress, as we seek to continuously improve the customer experience,” MTA spokesperson Joana Flores wrote in an email.
Noell Gordon was among those who entered the men's room at the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center station, first propping the door open to look around, as if a wild animal might be waiting inside.
"It's not so good inside it, honestly,” he said. He went in anyway. “You need to free the bowel. That’s all that matters to me.”
Tagged
brooklyn
new york city
sanitation
transportation
Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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