If the subways felt a bit more crowded last year, it’s because they were.

A new report from the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC) found ridership grew from 1.21 billion in 2024 to nearly 1.3 billion riders in 2025, a 7.7% increase. Most of the 39 stations that saw over a 20% increase were outside Manhattan.

What You Need To Know

Subway ridership grew by 7.7% in 2025 versus 2024, with weekend ridership up by 9.4%

The Bedford Avenue L train stop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, saw the highest weekend increase — even more than Times Square — though that station saw the most growth overall

The increase in ridership for the morning commute only went up by 7.1%, which the PCAC believes is due to the fact that commuters were already using transit to get to work

“The ridership increase, as a result of return to office, has completely plateaued at this point and is not a major factor anymore,” Brian Fritsch, the PCAC’s associate director, said. “I think that’s what the top-line numbers seem to indicate. I think the bigger factors are certainly the start of congestion pricing and also the continued push to crack down on fare evasion.”

Fritsch says the report, which used MTA data, also showed that weekend ridership grew even more than the overall average, by 9.4%.

“I think what that tells us is that when people have the choice of, you know, riding or not, making what we call discretionary trips, they were choosing transit more frequently and particularly by subway in this case, more often than driving or taking other modes,” he said.

The report also breaks down ridership by station. The Bedford Avenue L train stop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, saw the highest weekend increase — even more than Times Square — though that station saw the most growth overall.

“Which is pretty crazy for a station outside of Manhattan, served by only one line, to have such a significant increase,” Fritsch said.

The increase in ridership for the morning commute only went up by 7.1%. The PCAC believes that’s because commuters were already using transit to get to work.