New Yorkers have been pocketing some serious savings thanks to the expansion of the MTA’s CityTicket program. Governor Kathy Hochul and the MTA announced that passengers have saved over $100 million since the program's expansion in March 2022. A statement obtained by the Governor's Office highlighted that these savings were measured against the regular cost of one-way peak and off-peak tickets.
Saving $5 off peak and $7 during peak hours, CityTicket offers considerable discounts for travels within New York City on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) or Metro-North Railroad. According to the MTA, some 30.4 million CityTickets were sold on the LIRR alone, and Metro-North saw 6.8 million tickets during this period, enabling customers to save a grand total of $100.8 million. While surging ridership across the MTA network, CityTicket riders have been reaping the benefits of more affordable transit options faster than the systemwide baselines.
Since its inception, CityTicket has drastically altered the landscape of commuter affordability. MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber expressed in a statement obtained by the Governor's Office, "Thirty million customers can't be wrong – the City Ticket is a smash success, saving New York City residents $100 million, plus a faster commute." The ridership numbers echo Lieber’s statement, with dramatic increases reported in stations like Rosedale, Queens Village, and Jamaica Station, which saw an increase of over 224% in ridership.
Not only does CityTicket make commuting more affordable, but it also correlates with improved performance and satisfaction on the railroads. This year, 96.4% of LIRR trains have reached their destination on time, a record in its history. Customer satisfaction is said to be high for LIRR, with reported 81% of the customers giving a thumbs up to the service. The Governor's Office shared that in a similar fashion, Metro-North's on-time performance stood at 98.0%, with an 89% customer satisfaction rating.
The bolstering of ridership and satisfaction surely underscores the link between affordability and quality of transit service. With a fuller understanding of this connection, measures like the CityTicket program propel the MTA forward, offering New Yorkers a less costly and more reliable transit option.
