Subway Ridership Doubled During Congestion Pricing's 1st Year: New Report Finds

NEW YORK CITY — During the first year of congestion pricing in New York City subway ridership doubled — with New Yorkers taking more than 90 million additional subway rides than in the previous year, according to a new report.

According to the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, almost 93 million more subway trips were taken in 2025 than in 2024, bringing overall ridership to 1.3 billion.

This 7.7 percent rider increase was up from 3.7 percent in 2024, the report detailed.

When it came to the congestion pricing zone, total subway rides grew by 7.1 percent or a bump of 20 million more rides into the area.

The report found that weekend ridership grew at larger rates than the overall citywide average. Total weekend ridership grew by 9.4 percent – a total increase of nearly 22 million riders.

Thirty-nine stations out of the system's 472  saw full-year ridership grow more than 20 percent.

According to the report, Times Square-42nd St saw the largest overall increase in rides between 2024 and 2025, with 2.5 million new riders – a 5.6 percent increase.

In Brooklyn, the Bedford Avenue L station had the largest overall increase in rides on weekends in 2025, with nearly 556,000 new riders, a 23.7 percent increase.

Only 38 stations saw ridership decreases in 2025, including 12 stations that had significant service impacts due to the reconstruction of the Hammels Wye on the Rockaway Peninsula.

"Our rider councils have long wondered how the implementation of the Congestion Pricing would impact ridership around New York City,” Brian Fritsch, Associate Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, said. “While it’s not possible to ascribe all the ridership increases last year to the start of the program, clear trends have emerged that show the program’s influence on ridership increases."

The report also listed a number of recommendations including

• Investing in increased weekend subway service where needed
• Continue and expand Governor Kathy Hochul’s investment in the MTA’s operating funding

• Supplement demand for weekend service by increasing service on parallel bus routes, speeding up shuttle buses, and ensuring all shuttle buses for planned service outages are trackable on the MTA app and other trip planning apps

• Continue targeted subway service increases during weekdays based on ridership growth

• Follow the scheduled increase in Congestion Pricing rates as required by the re-evaluation and VPPP agreement

• Expand fare discounts and transfer options between the subway, bus, and commuter rail

• Increase bus service and speeds around the five boroughs