Subway Scores Increase in Safety on Trains and Stations
LIRR Customers Reporting Improvement in On-Time Performance and Transfer Experience
Overall Satisfaction with Metro-North Increases on All Lines
See Results of Fall 2024 NYC Transit Customer Counts Survey
See Results of Fall 2024 Metro-North and LIRR Customer Counts Survey
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the results of the Fall 2024 Customers Count Survey, which launched on Tuesday, Oct. 15, and received responses from 82,222 customers. The results showed increased overall satisfaction for Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North riders and increases in feeling safe on subways and buses.
“We are grateful for the more than 80,000 customers who took the time to provide insight for every aspect of their transit experience,” said MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. “These surveys are so essential in our effort to understand what is working and what areas we can focus on to improve the customer journey in every MTA mode.”
“The MTA has greatly expanded its surveying approach to listen to its customers more regularly, more deeply – and to take action as a result,” said MTA Chief of Strategic Initiatives Jon Kaufman. “Improved results in LIRR can be linked to their ongoing commitment to improve and robustly addressing customer concerns – most recently improving the transfer experience through Jamaica and enhancing peak service schedules. Feedback from customers on how they perceive safety at specific stops and lines helps the MTA and NYPD work together in a targeted manner – and the Fall 2024 safety scores also improved.”
Long Island Rail Road
In Fall 2024, overall satisfaction on the LIRR reached 76%, a six-point increase from Spring 2024. Focusing on on-time performance through Jamaica Station and the transfer experience are key factors in the improvement. Satisfaction with the transfer experience, a very important key driver, is up six points to 63%. Satisfaction with service reliability also improved two points to 82%, peak service frequency rose four points to 71%, and satisfaction with on-time performance increased by two points to 78%. Several other attributes saw increases, including satisfaction with frequency of delays and seat availability.
Nine branches saw significant increases in overall satisfaction, and all branches now have satisfaction scores above 70%, besides Oyster Bay, which increased eight points to 68%.
Customers are noticing the added focus on restroom cleanliness through the LIRR’s Restroom survey. Satisfaction with restroom cleanliness is up, both for restrooms at stations at 73%, up four points, and for restrooms on board at 45%, up four points.
“One of my main goals when I assumed the presidency of the LIRR was to create an amazing customer experience, every day, on every train,” said Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free. “This incredible jump in customer satisfaction shows that we are in fact achieving it. The LIRR continuously monitors data and customer feedback to improve the reliability and customer experience of our service. On-time performance is at record highs, schedules are more convenient, and this makes our customers happy.”
Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North continues to be the highest-rated agency with an overall customer satisfaction rating of 85%, up from 83% in Spring 2024, with increases across all lines. The Hudson line was the highest performing line, with satisfaction increasing three points to 86%. The Harlem line improved to 85%, up two points, and the New Haven line increased one point to 84%.
“Customers throughout the Metro-North service region are experiencing record on-time performance, accessibility upgrades and station improvements,” said Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi. “And upcoming capital investments will further improve the safe and reliable railroad that our riders deserve.”
New York City Transit Subways and Buses
Nearly half of subway customers are satisfied with the subway overall, up two points to 49% from 47% in the Spring 2024 survey. The overall increase in satisfaction is likely driven by higher satisfaction with safety. 56% of customers feel safe on trains, up from 45% in the spring, and 51% of customers feel safe in stations, up from 44%. Customers are also more likely to be satisfied on board at 58%, up from 54% in the spring.
Overall satisfaction with Express Bus is 69%, up from 67% in the spring. On Staten Island, which makes up 45% of the sample, customer satisfaction increased six points to 63%. Satisfaction on Local Bus is 53%, down from 57% in Spring 2024. Main drivers of the satisfaction decline for Local Bus are service reliability, waiting times and frequency of delays.
“Improving the perception of safety on the subway and bus systems is a constant work in progress, but it is encouraging to see the presence of MTA employees and police officers is making a difference,” said New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “We will continue to deliver on our core priorities of improving safety and service in the coming months, bringing customers a smoother and more reliable transit experience."
Access-A-Ride
Access-A-Ride's overall satisfaction is at 67%, on par with 68% in the Spring 2024 survey. On-time pickup is the most important driver of overall satisfaction, and 64% said they were satisfied with on-time pickup in Fall 2024. Satisfaction with travel times is at 71% and driver courtesy is at 75%. Service reliability and flexibility are important drivers of overall satisfaction.