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    1. Management

    MTA sets pandemic era ridership record on NYC subway anniversary

    Oct. 31, 2022
    In addition to the ridership milestone, OMNY reached a weekday record of 1.476 million taps on the same day.
    Related To: Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NY MTA)
    Marc A. Hermann / MTA
    MTA New York City Transit President Richard Davey spoke with MTA employees and riders on Oct. 27 to celebrate 'Subway Day,' which marked the 118th anniversary of the New York City subway system.
    MTA New York City Transit President Richard Davey spoke with MTA employees and riders on Oct. 27 to celebrate "Subway Day," which marked the 118th anniversary of the New York City subway system.

    New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared the New York City subway "back and better than ever" as rides on the system set a pandemic-era record on Oct. 27, which also happened to be the 118th anniversary of the system beginning service. 

    The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) hosted 3,879,400 riders on Oct. 27, topping the previous record set on Sept. 21. In addition, OMNY reached a record high in subway taps of 1.476 million - two records to close out Subway Day, a celebratory day recognized by the MTA in honor of New York City's very first subway ride on October 27, 1904.

    Earlier this week, the MTA announced the expansion of OMNY to Reduced-Fare customers, becoming the first major transit system to offer reduced fares on personal payment devices. In just four days, over 1,300 Reduced-Fare customers made the switch from MetroCard to OMNY, bringing the total to almost 2,800 total Reduced Fare customers using OMNY, which includes the soft launch participants.

    "I am thrilled to see the continued upswing in ridership and increasing awareness of OMNY," said Gov. Hochul. "We look forward to this continued growth as the holiday season approaches, and visitors and locals take advantage of all that New York has to offer using the most affordable and environmentally friendly way to travel - public transportation."

    New York City Transit President Richard Davey said, "Just this past Wednesday, I shared that the overall transit experience satisfaction rate is at a historic high. Listening to riders is going to be the key to our success. We know what they want a faster, cleaner, safer experience and we are working on just that to make transit the top choice."

    Acting MTA Chief Customer Officer Gene Ribeiro said, "More and more people are learning about OMNY and joining the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who have made it their preferred way of paying. It is the quickest, most efficient way for transit riders to pay their fare on subways and buses. We have recently expanded the tap-and-go system to Reduced-Fare customers and look forward to more riders taking advantage of the ease of contactless payment."

    Reduced-Fare customers can make the switch from MetroCard to OMNY seamlessly online with the OMNY digital assistant, available 24/7 at OMNY.info - a how-to video for customers who want to switch to OMNY can be seen here.

    OMNY usage continues to surge across the New York City Transit system. On September 15, the MTA recorded the 500 millionth OMNY tap at Grand Central Terminal. Following its debut in 2019 as a pilot phase to the public, the rollout of the contactless system was completed in December of 2020, with all 472 subway stations and the entirety of the MTA's 5,800 bus fleet now equipped with approximately 15,000 OMNY readers.