Bumper-to-bumper gridlock on Manhattan streets has noticeably evaporated this week following the launch of congestion pricing. So, where is everybody? Ridership data indicates that at least some of those motorists have migrated to mass transit, with 500,000 more people traveling on the city’s subway, buses and commuter rail on Tuesday compared to the same day last year.
Far and away the biggest ridership jump Tuesday was on the city’s subway system, on which more than 3.7 million people traveled — an increase of over 400,000 travelers for the equivalent day in 2024, according to MTA ridership data reviewed by Crain’s. Those additional subway riders have experienced relatively smooth commutes this week, with the subway’s on-time performance north of 80% — on par with the average for the past year.
Tuesday’s spike in subway riders represents a notable shift in traveler behavior since the launch of congestion pricing for Manhattan below 60th Street. That said, it’s still worth bearing in mind that traffic patterns fluctuate day to day. On Monday, for instance, more than 100,000 additional riders hopped on the subway compared to the same day the year before, but Mondays now tend to be a lighter commuter day and the brutally cold, snowy weather likely inspired more remote work.
Richie Velázquez, 48, was among the additional riders taking the subway on Monday and Tuesday. Instead of driving to his work as an administrator at a Midtown construction firm, he said he took the M train and then walked a handful of blocks to his office.
“I usually drive but I don’t want to pay the extra $9, so I’m taking the subway,” he said. “It’s been a while but it actually hasn’t been that bad. I got to work fine.”
Meanwhile, an additional 80,000 passengers boarded buses on Tuesday, bringing the day’s bus ridership to north of 1.2 million. Transit officials, in particular, have sought to lure more riders to express buses ahead of the new toll by increasing service on routes with high weekday ridership, including routes that launch in Brooklyn and Staten Island with a Midtown destination.
Some suburban travelers outside of the city also opted for commuter rail over car traffic. The Long Island Rail Road and Metro North Railroad both experienced an uptick of more than 30,000 passengers, respectively, on Tuesday.
It’s less clear what’s unfolding on mass transit that originates from New Jersey. NJ Transit spokesman Kyalo Mulumba said the agency has “not seen a notable ridership increase this week” but declined to share ridership metrics for so far this week to support that statement.
Notably, travel times on the city’s Hudson River crossings have sped up so far this week, indicating that fewer cars are making the journey from the Garden State to Manhattan, according to real time traffic data from Google Maps.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey also declined to share PATH train ridership data for this week; the agency says it intends to release overall January ridership metrics in February.
Marketer Sabrina Turner, 37, a regular PATH train commuter from Newark to Lower Manhattan, said her travel hasn’t been especially crowded on the metro system, but that she feels midday car traffic has visibly reduced on Broadway and other major downtown corridors this week.
“If less people are driving then they got to be going somewhere,” said Turner. “Not everybody can work at home, so what are you going to do? Maybe carpool or just take the train.”
