Subway Ridership Tops 3M For First Time Since Omicron: MTA

New York City NY

10 February, 2022

4:47 PM

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NEW YORK CITY — Omicron fears have departed New York City's subways. Or, at least that's what new daily ridership numbers from the MTA indicate. Ridership on Tuesday surpassed 3 million for the first time since the omicron coronavirus variant hit the city, officials said. A day later, MTA subway ridership again passed that mark. "We've come flying back from the Omicron surge," Janno Lieber, who serves as MTA's chair and CEO, said in a statement. "New Yorkers are ready to ride." Concern over the highly contagious omicron variant brought much of daily life in New York City to a halt in December and January. New Yorkers canceled gatherings and holiday plans, lined up to get COVID-19 tests and largely avoided public transit. Subway ridership hit its low on Christmas Day, with just over 800,000, according to MTA data. But as much as MTA officials crowed about returning to the 3-million daily rider mark, it's still a drop in the bucket compared to pre-pandemic levels. Weekday ridership averaged 5.5 million before the coronavirus hit, MTA data shows. MTA officials have embarked on a near-daily effort to encourage New Yorkers to return to subways, from initiatives to improve safety to new fare promotions. The latest promotions include a deal that gives OMNY tap-to-pay customers unlimited free fares after their 12th ride.