NYC subway hit 1 billion rides for 2023 - meet the billionth customer
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- The New York City subway hit one billion trips in 2023.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the MTA hit the milestone, thanks to Brian Jones from Teaneck, New Jersey.
He tapped into the subway system at 175 St A station at 10:54 a.m. on Tuesday.
"This has kind of been a reintroduction to the subway for me. Just took a new role here in New York, I had been working virtually for the last three years, and so was great to return on the tail end of that gap and to see that I can tap my debit card and walk right through the turnstile," Jones said. "I come from New Jersey, I can stop and have a cup of coffee in the terminal upstairs before I jump into my meetings, and so the subway has always been a part of my day and will continue to be a part of my day, and it's great to experience these improvements as the journey continues."
This milestone comes six weeks earlier than last year when the subway reached one billion rides on December 27.
"We have made historic investments enhancing service and safety on the Subways, encouraging millions of riders into the system every day," Governor Hochul said. "Hitting the one billion ride mark far ahead of last year is a testament to our work, and I am excited to see us break ridership records week after week."
According to the governor, subway ridership will continue to grow in 2023. Last week, over 23 million subway rides were taken, an 8% increase from the same week in 2022.
"We've made great progress in providing faster, cleaner, and safer service and customers have responded by choosing to take the subway a billion times this year at a faster pace than last year. I'm looking forward to delivering millions more rides before the end of 2023," said Richard Davey, NYC Transit President.
Jones received a $100 OMNY value card, OMNY t-shirt, NYCT subway map glasses cleaner, and an OMNY button for being the billionth customer.
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