MTA says ridership up in Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens

NEW YORK (PIX11) — Subway ridership has been slowly climbing back to pre-pandemic levels. But whether or not you see those increases depends on where you’re riding to and from.

Swipes in South Brooklyn, the Bronx and Central Queens have come back strong.

At the MTA’s monthly board meeting Wednesday, a presentation on station traffic included two maps. It offered station details on travel.

The areas with strongest rebound include Jamaica, northern sections of the Bronx, East Elmhurst and South Brooklyn. It’s about half or less in the central business district and Long Island City.

MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said he’s not only seeing statistics. He’s also thinking of the essential workers who live in the areas with higher ridership and in areas outside Manhattan.

“Our ability to keep providing full and reliable service is an equity issue. We can’t let them down,” he said.

MTA ridership numbers show there are still morning and afternoon peaks, but they are at lower levels.

“Maybe we can provide additional capacity to some times of day. It’s no secret that we are focused on nights and weekends,” Lieber said.

The hiring of subway crews has been limited by the number of applicants. NYC Transit has added classes and condensed training time to get new employees on the job sooner.

“For conductors, getting back to full level of service in 4th quarter and train operators will be the first quarter of 2023. This is the market. There are a lot of people hiring,” Lieber said.

Transit has been able to hire and train new bus operators. The surface-employee ranks are nearly back to full staff and more classes are underway.