NYC Subway Bathrooms Roll Out A Glow-Up

NEW YORK, NY— The Metropolitan Transportation Authority installed toilet seats in multiple subway station bathrooms after a review by the Office of the MTA Inspector General found seatless toilets across the system.

MTA Inspector General Daniel Cort said the agency acted after an audit identified missing seats in a portion of facilities.

“Small fixes — like adding toilet seats — can make a big difference in comfort and hygiene for riders,” Cort said in a statement to Curbed.

The inspector general’s office reviewed 32 restrooms across 14 stations and inspected 37 toilets.

It found 10 toilets without seats.

In its report, the office described stainless-steel toilets without seats in both men’s and women’s bathrooms.

Inspectors also identified other missing amenities across stations, including toilet paper, garbage containers, soap, and functioning locks.

In its findings, the office listed:

• 14 bathrooms lacked a garbage container
• 13 of 37 toilet stalls had no toilet paper
• 10 of 37 toilets lacked seats
• 8 bathrooms had litter on the floor or elsewhere
• 6 stalls had broken locks
• 6 stalls were marked with graffiti
• 5 dispensers had no hand soap
• 1 hand dryer was broken
• 1 light fixture was not working

The inspector general said it received inconsistent explanations from NYC Transit about why some toilets were installed without seats.

“One common response was that the seats had been removed to reduce vandalism,” the report read.

The audit also noted that some stainless-steel toilets included hardware that would allow seats to be installed.

In follow-up inspections, the office found seats installed where toilets previously lacked them.

The MTA said it installed seats at multiple stations, including major transit hubs such as Union Square and Queensboro Plaza.

In response to recommendations, the inspector general’s office said the agency should adopt a standard requiring seats where feasible.

The report also documented broader restroom access issues, including closures and inaccurate online listings of open facilities.

At several stations, inspectors found bathrooms closed despite being listed as open on the MTA website.

The inspector general said few complaints were recorded, but a portion of them involved restroom closures.

NYC Transit operates 125 bathrooms across 472 subway stations.