CITYWIDE — WEEKEND RIDERSHIP RECOVERY across Metropolitan Transportation Authority services has risen faster than weekdays since the pandemic ended, with average ridership near 2019 levels and even exceeding it at times. The recovery gap between weekends and weekdays has accelerated in recent years, according to a new report from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, suggesting the MTA continues to adjust service in response.
The average weekend subway ridership in 2025 was at 89% of the 2019 level, up from 80% in 2024. By contrast, average weekday subway ridership was at 74% of the 2019 level in 2025, up from 68% in 2024. The gap between weekday and weekend ridership recovery grew from a 2 percentage point difference in 2020 to nearly 15 percentage points in 2025.
Leisure travel and tourism have helped boost weekend ridership across various transportation modes, following a pattern in transportation systems across the nation. Weekend ridership numbers have been particularly strong during the summer and holiday periods.
✰✰✰
