The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced that July 2025 was the safest in recorded history for the New York City Transit subway system, with an 8% drop in overall major felony crimes compared to July 2024. 

NYPD statistics show robberies are down 16.7%, felony assaults down 9.3%, and grand larcenies down 6%. Notably, there were no burglaries the entire month of July. 

Meanwhile, average ridership has also increased from 3,441,771 in July 2024 to 3,857,298 in July 2025. There was less than one crime per million riders committed in the subway system in July 2025, MTA officials said. 

“It’s clear that efforts to increase overnight patrols, deploy thousands more security cameras, and expand mental health outreach are having real positive impacts,” said MTA Chair/CEO Janno Lieber. “By working closely with Governor Hochul and the NYPD, we’re making sure the transit system not only is safe but feels safe for our six million daily riders.”

Seeing Results

The improvements come more than a year after Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA unveiled a Five Point Plan for Subway Safety, which included increasing police presence in stations and on platforms, installing security cameras in every subway car, implementing bag checks, and deploying SCOUT homeless outreach teams to connect individuals with severe mental illness to treatment and supportive housing, among other initiatives.

Recent security measures also include the expansion of overnight patrols to place two uniformed police officers on board every subway train from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.; the ongoing installation of protective barriers on platforms; upgrading fare gates and delaying egress at emergency exits to help crack down on fare evasion; and adding LED lighting throughout the system to increase visibility. 

Since Jan. 1, 2025, the MTA has installed more than 200 additional cameras across 40 subway stations. LED lights have been installed in a total of 362 stations, with all 472 stations expected to be converted by the end of this year. 

Additionally, platform barriers have been installed at 65 stations with the MTA on track to install platform barriers at 100 subway stations across Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx by the end of 2025.