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An absolute necessity and yet the object of everyone's scorn, the New York City subway system is an emblem of the town we call ours. It should come as no surprise, then, that New Yorkers have very strong opinions about the infrastructure.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) just released the findings of its spring 2022 bi-annual customer satisfaction and travel survey, which was issued back in June to 175,000 subway riders and 47,000 bus users. Although some respondents praised certain lines over others, one thing rang true across the board: everyone has something to say about the subway system.
Overall, according to the survey, subway satisfaction rates approach 48% (read: less than half of riders are okay with how the system is working). Those rates jump to 63% when analyzing bus ridership, with express bus customers indicating a 76% satisfaction rate.
When looking at specific subway lines, the L, G, Q and 7 topped the list of most appreciated routes‚ with the L train earning the top spot with—surprise, surprise—a pretty low 53% satisfaction rating (these are the sorts of numbers we're working with).
On the other side of the spectrum, the D train was crowned the least loved line, with a 40% satisfaction rate. The A, C and E lines are not particularly popular either—only 41% of respondents indicated their appreciation for it.
What all these statistics say to us is that, alas, the city needs to completely revamp its transportation system—a suggestion residents have been making for years. Will that ever happen within our lifetime? Probably not, despite a new station potentially opening in Hell's Kitchen and the recent installment of a new tap-and-go payment method across all stops.
Let's rejoice, though, at the upcoming overhaul of Penn Station (which, unfortunately, still falls short of the immense updates that the transit hub is in dire need of).