The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced that the New York City Subway set a pandemic-era ridership record on Wednesday, May 17, with 4,090,247 paid rides.

This marks the fifth time subways have carried more than 4 million riders on a single day since April 20, 2023. Prior to hitting 4 million riders on April 20, the last time at least 4 million people rode the subway was March 12, 2020. 

MTA's Ridership Record

The ridership record on subways was fueled by OMNY usage.

OMNY, the Authority's contactless fare payment system, hit 1.8 million taps on a single day for the first time, accounting for 44.2% of paid rides.

The 1.8 million milestone beats the previous record set a day before, Tuesday, May 16, when OMNY recorded 1.74 subway taps. 

“Subway ridership records and OMNY records seem to be one and the same these days. I must give a shout-out to the station agents throughout the subway system who are doing a phenomenal job promoting OMNY to customers,” said Richard Davey, NYC Transit President. “Whether it is the ease of OMNY, the warm weather, or someone’s love for the subway, it is clear people are returning to the system in large numbers. New York City Transit will look to keep that momentum humming with faster, cleaner, and safer service on the way to more milestones.”