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Annual MTA Ridership Down For First Time Since 2009

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Recent findings show MTA ridership is down for the first time since 2009, and acting Chairman Fernando Ferrer thinks weekend track work may be to blame.

"We're working on the system on the weekends and that sometimes causes inconvenience," he tells WCBS 880's Myles Miller. "But in the long term makes our system safe and reliable."


He and other MTA officials also blame the 3% dip in weekend ridership on the rise of Uber and other on demand car service apps.

A traffic study released by the mayor's office found in 2016, ridership for Uber and other apps tripled to about 16 million riders.

Still, he says, there's no cause for major concern just yet.

"If it declines a little bit, in fact I've seen those numbers, it's a little bit, there's no reason for alarm," he said.

WCBS 880 reports that weekday ridership was at its highest level since 1948.

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