About New York City Public Transportation

MTA

• The most important administration agency for New York City is the Metropolitan Transit Authority, or MTA. This agency is a New York State organization, so it is not run from City Hall. It administers the public transportation in the five boroughs of New York City and the surrounding counties of Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester. It is important to note that public transit in New Jersey and Connecticut, which are important to workers commuting into New York City, are outside MTA's authority.

The Subway

• The New York City subway system is the largest system of its kind in terms of length of track. In terms of ridership, it ranks fourth in the world. On a normal day, about 5 million passengers ride the subway, with the current record standing at 7.5 million passengers in a single day. The subway extends to four of the city's five boroughs (Staten Island does not have a subway).

MTA Buses

• The MTA's bus service operates over 5,800 buses on 230 routes, carrying a little over 2 million passengers a day. They serve all five boroughs. Buses are identified in a letter-number code. The number identifies the route, and the letter the bus's primary borough, or whether it is an express. "X" is for "Express," "B" is for "Brooklyn, "Bx" is for the "Bronx," "M" is for "Manhattan," "Q" is for "Queens" and "S" is for "Staten Island." "M104," for example, would be "Manhattan Route 104."

Ferries

• The Staten Island Ferry is the busiest ferry in America. Plying the 5 miles of water between Manhattan and Staten Island, the ferry operates 5 vessels that carry between 65,000 and 70,000 passengers each day. The ferry is run by the city, not by the MTA.

AirTrain

• There are two AirTrain services that carry passengers to John F. Kennedy and Newark International Airports. Both are operated by private companies, but under contract with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

PATH Train

• The Port Authority Trans-Hudson Train (PATH Train) links Manhattan to New Jersey, with stops in Jersey City, Hoboken, Harrison and Newark. It carries almost 1/4 million commuters every day.