MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber
Marc A. Hermann / MTA
Sometimes it’s best to keep your thoughts to yourself. The MTA’s Spring Customers Count survey is not one of those times.
Starting Monday, we want to hear from riders about their commutes – the good, the bad, and the ugly – to help us make improvements to the system we all know and (mostly) love.
It’s important to understand who our customers are and what they care about, and how their perceptions change over time. Honesty is imperative — not that I’m worried about New Yorkers holding back.
Over the years, candid responses to these surveys have helped lead to real changes like better lighting in subway stations, improved transfers at Jamaica Station, and new Tap and Ride features to help customers better manage trips.
The MTA didn’t always do this work ourselves, instead relying on outside firms to conduct market research. But over the last five years, we’ve assembled a top-notch team of in-house experts with the know-how to design and administer a wide range of surveys – not just the larger Customers Count polls, which go live twice a year, but also smaller monthly Pulse surveys and more targeted studies and focus groups on specific public-facing initiatives.
These aren’t the cold calls and paper surveys of yester-year. In 2026, we use digital tools to speed data collection and processing, helping to extend our reach while reducing overall costs and staff time. As a result, participation has grown with every cycle – the Fall 2025 Customers Count Survey got more than 92,000 responses, an 18- fold increase over past studies, where 2,000-5,000 responses were the norm.
The larger sample populations allow us to zero in on trends at specific geographies, like certain stations or individual bus routes.
Over the next few weeks, advertising for Customers Count will be everywhere. We use multiple channels to encourage participation, including opted-in email lists; QR codes on our digital screens in stations, trains and buses; in-app notifications; and, of course, our website and social media accounts. And to help eliminate any barriers to contributing, the survey’s available in nine languages: English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Bangla, Korean, and Chinese.
The goal is to hear from as many riders as we can. Our network serves a vast and diverse population – more than 15 million people call the metropolitan region home. And every response strengthens our decision-making. Make your voice heard this spring in the Customers Count survey.
Janno Lieber is MTA chair and CEO.