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last mo.

NYC Subway Hits 1 Billion Riders for 2025, Reaching the Mark in October

MTA leaders cite improved on-time performance as evidence of a sustained post-pandemic recovery.

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Zayd Nubani, 28, holds up an envelope containing a $100 OMNY card, among his rewards for being the subway system’s billionth rider in 2025, at the Lafayette Ave. C train station in Brooklyn on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Evan Simko-Bednarski / New York Daily News)

Overview

  • The MTA marked the milestone at Brooklyn’s Lafayette Avenue station, where 28-year-old Zayd Nubani was recognized as the billionth rider and received a $100 OMNY card and MTA swag.
  • The milestone arrived earlier than in recent years, following late December in 2022 and November in both 2023 and 2024, though ridership remains below the nearly 1.7 billion trips recorded in 2019.
  • Chair and CEO Janno Lieber pointed to recent reliability gains, noting an on-time performance near 85% last month, among the system’s best results in years.
  • Lieber credited increased subway service enabled by state funding, acknowledging support from Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Legislature.
  • Officials reported overall transit crime down more than 12% compared with pre-COVID levels and pledged continued coordination with the NYPD on safety.