Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Contrary to popular perception, the subway is not the dominant commute mode for most New York City residents. According to the 2019 American Community Survey (pre-pandemic baseline):
The subway is the backbone of the city's transportation system – carrying ~5.5 million riders on a typical weekday (pre-COVID) – but NYC's 8.3 million residents include:
As of 2023, subway ridership has recovered to ~70% of 2019 levels, while car traffic exceeds pre-pandemic volumes. Remote work (now ~20% of workforce) has reduced overall commuting, but the proportion of drivers among commuters has likely increased.
Bottom line: The subway is the most used single transit mode, but cars collectively dominate when all vehicle trips are counted.