Public transport in New York City

Overview

New York City's public transport is anchored by the New York City Subway, a rapid transit system serving four of the city's five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 27, 1904, it is one of the world's oldest public transit systems and the one with the most stations, with 423 stations in operation (472 if stations connected by transfers are counted multiple times).

The system has operated 24/7 service every day of the year throughout most of its history, barring emergencies and disasters, and by annual ridership it is the busiest rapid transit system in the Western Hemisphere. Subway, bus, and streetcar operations were taken over by the New York City Transit Authority in 1953 and placed under the control of the MTA in 1968.

For a visitor, riding end to end is straightforward. You pay your fare by tapping a contactless card, phone, or wearable at the turnstile or bus reader, or by using an OMNY card. You then ride to your stop, transferring freely within the subway system without exiting the turnstiles. Service changes are common on weekends and late nights, so it pays to check the MTA's website or call 511 before you travel.

The network

The region's public transport is a patchwork of systems run by different operators, and your fare on one does not necessarily cover another.

New York City Subway — the core rapid transit network, operated by MTA New York City Transit, running 24/7 across all five boroughs. It consists of 25 routes or "services" (which usually share track or "lines" with other services); 22 pass through Manhattan, the exceptions being the G train, the Franklin Avenue Shuttle, and the Rockaway Park Shuttle. Many lines and stations have both express and local services, with express trains generally using the inner tracks and locals the outer ones. The subway does not serve Staten Island.
Staten Island Railway (SIR) — connects the St. George ferry terminal to Tottenville.
Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) — commuter rail running from Manhattan to points on Long Island; Jamaica is a major hub for its services.
Metro-North Railroad — commuter rail serving points north of the city, including stations in the Bronx and Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.
NJ Transit — New Jersey's commuter rail and bus operator, with trains to New York Penn Station and buses such as the #62 to Newark Penn Station.
PATH — a subway linking New Jersey and Manhattan, with trains to the World Trade Center station in lower Manhattan and to Journal Square, where you can transfer across the platform to the Journal Square–33rd St train.
Roosevelt Island Tram — an aerial tram opened in 1976 running between East 60th St & Second Ave in Manhattan and Roosevelt Island in the East River between Manhattan and Queens. It runs every 15 minutes off-peak and every 7.5 minutes at rush hour, carries over 2 million riders annually, and accepts OMNY with free transfers to and from MTA subways and buses.
Buses — MTA buses run roughly every 5–15 minutes, with many routes operating 24/7. All are wheelchair accessible. Pay at the front, except on Select Bus Service (SBS) routes, which use sidewalk payment kiosks; limited and SBS buses skip stops.
NYC Ferry — a separate ferry network; note that OMNY does not work on it.
Staten Island Ferry — a free ferry, useful because the subway does not serve Staten Island.

Tickets & fares

OMNY (One Metro New York) contactless payment is the standard on all buses, subways, AirTrain, Staten Island Railway, and the Roosevelt Island Tram. You tap a contactless credit or debit card, a reloadable prepaid card, a digital wallet (Google, Apple, Samsung), or a wearable such as an Apple Watch or Fitbit. The physical MetroCard, introduced in the early 1990s and itself a replacement for the token, is being retired at the end of 2025, and old vending machines have largely been replaced by OMNY kiosks. A dedicated OMNY card costs $5 (not counted toward your balance, with a minimum $1 load) and is sold at subway stations and retail locations; Reduced-Fare OMNY cards are also available.

Fares are approximate and change, so confirm current prices before you travel. As of the most recent information available:

Single subway or local bus trip: $3.00 ($1.50 Reduced-Fare), any distance, all five boroughs.
Single-ride OMNY ticket: $3.50.
Express bus (routes prefixed "X" or "SIM"): $7.25 ($3.60 Reduced-Fare), with more comfortable seating and fewer stops linking outer boroughs to Manhattan.
CityTicket on LIRR and Metro-North within city limits: $5.25 off-peak, $7.25 peak, per trip, purchased via official apps or station kiosks.
JFK AirTrain: $8.50.
NJ Transit train from Newark Airport to New York Penn Station: $16.80 each way, which includes the $8.50 AirTrain fee.
New Jersey Transit #62 bus to Newark Penn Station: $1.80, exact change only.
PATH: $3.

You get one free transfer between subway and local bus, or between different bus routes, within a 2-hour window when you use the same card or device. A single-ride OMNY ticket has more limited transfers, restricted to the same system (subway-to-subway or bus-to-bus).

Fare capping is automatic and requires no sign-up: after you spend $35.00 on subway and local bus within 7 days from your first tap, you ride free for the remainder of the period. Express bus has a separate weekly cap of $67.00. The weekly cycle starts at your first tap of the week. You must use the same payment method consistently for fare capping and free transfers to apply.

Up to three children at most 44 inches (1.12 m) tall ride free with each fare-paying adult; taller children pay the full $3.00 fare. Buses accept exact coin change (no pennies or paper money), but with OMNY no exact change is needed.

OMNY does not work on Metro-North, the Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit, PATH, or NYC Ferry, so you will need separate tickets for those.

From the airport

Three large airports and several smaller ones serve the region, all run by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Public transport options vary considerably by airport.

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) — New York's main airport and a major hub for American, Delta, and JetBlue. To reach Manhattan, the JFK AirTrain is a 24-hour people mover that takes passengers to the nearby Jamaica subway and LIRR stations for $8.50. From Jamaica you can take subway lines E, J, or Z further into Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, with travel time of 50–60 minutes to Penn Station in Midtown. A faster option is the Long Island Rail Road, which runs from Jamaica to Penn Station in roughly 20–25 minutes; Jamaica is a major LIRR hub, so only use this if you are sure of your train, as conductors will charge you on the spot for incorrect tickets. LIRR trains are extremely crowded during rush hours. A taxi to Manhattan is a flat fare of $70, and bus/subway costs $2.90.
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) — in New Jersey, west of Manhattan, and a major hub for United Airlines. The AirTrain Newark runs 24 hours to Newark Airport Rail Station, 10 minutes away, with an $8.50 fee when entering or exiting the station (included in the $16.80 NJ Transit train ticket). From there, NJ Transit trains take about 30 minutes to New York Penn Station, running every 15–30 minutes; NJ Transit trains stop at both Newark Penn Station and New York Penn Station, so if your destination is Manhattan, stay on until New York Penn Station. Amtrak also runs to Manhattan but costs $20–30, and NJ Transit tickets are not valid on Amtrak trains. The cheapest option is New Jersey Transit bus #62, which runs from in front of all three terminals to Newark Penn Station (one-way $1.80, exact change only, 25 minutes); from there you can take a PATH train ($3) to World Trade Center in lower Manhattan (25 minutes) or to Journal Square for a cross-platform transfer to the Journal Square–33rd St train. Plan on 90 minutes including waiting times. The #62 bus operates 24/7 between Elizabeth and Newark Penn Station, including holidays, generally every 10–15 minutes on weekdays, 15–20 minutes on Saturdays, and 20–30 minutes on Sundays, with overnight service every 30 minutes. A taxi into the city costs $50–70.
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) — the smallest of the three major airports but the closest to Midtown Manhattan. It has no direct rail or subway connection to the rest of the city, so your best bet is a taxi or rideshare, with most fares to Midtown averaging $40–45 before tip (tolls extra via the Queens-Midtown Tunnel or RFK Bridge). If you are comfortable with public transport, two MTA Select Bus Service routes serve the airport, with luggage racks and 24-hour frequency: the M60-SBS to Upper Manhattan around Columbia University via Astoria and 125th Street in Harlem, costing the standard bus fare of $2.90, and the Q70-SBS LaGuardia Link to the Woodside and Jackson Heights transit hubs in Queens, where you can connect to multiple subway, LIRR, and bus lines. As of late 2022, the Q70 is free of charge.
Westchester County Airport (HPN) — 25 miles northeast of Midtown Manhattan near White Plains. Bee-Line Bus #12 (fare $2.75) runs to the White Plains Metro-North station, from which Metro-North trains ($9.75 off-peak, $12.75 peak) serve points in the Bronx and 125th St/Park Ave and Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, roughly every half hour and taking about 40 minutes to an hour.
Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) — 45 miles east of Midtown Manhattan in Ronkonkoma. A shuttle bus (10 minutes, $5) runs between the airport and the Ronkonkoma Long Island Railroad station, from which a train reaches Penn Station in Manhattan in about 1.5 hours for $12.

Etiquette & customs

New Yorkers move fast, and a few local habits will make your trip smoother.

Escalators — stand on the right and walk on the left, so people in a hurry can pass.
Boarding and alighting — let passengers off the train or bus before you board, and step aside from the doors once you are on.
Priority seating — seats near the doors are reserved for elderly, disabled, and pregnant passengers; give them up when needed.
Eating and drinking — eating and drinking are not permitted on the subway.
Rush hour — trains and buses are extremely crowded during peak commuting times, on the LIRR especially, so keep your bags close and avoid blocking aisles and doors.
Buses — pay at the front, except on SBS routes where you pay at a sidewalk kiosk before boarding; limited and SBS buses skip stops, so check before you board. Between 10pm and 5am, local and express drivers will stop on request where it is safe.
Taxis — hail cabs with illuminated roof numbers; tipping is customary at 15–20%. Drivers are required to take passengers anywhere in NYC, and refusal based on race, disability, or destination within the five boroughs is illegal.

Official links

Survival terms

New York City's transit vocabulary is in English, but a few local words mean something specific.

Subway — the underground rapid transit system (also called the "train" locally).
Line — the physical track and infrastructure; a "service" or "route" is the lettered or numbered train that runs on it.
Uptown / Downtown — the direction of travel: uptown generally means north, downtown generally means south.
Entrance / Exit — where you enter and leave a station; some entrances are exit-only during rush hour.
Transfer — changing between trains or buses, free within the subway system and within a 2-hour window between subway and local bus.
Single fare — one paid ride, $3.00 on subway and local bus.
Fare cap — the automatic weekly limit ($35.00) after which further subway and local bus rides are free.
OMNY — the contactless tap-to-ride payment system used across subways, buses, AirTrain, Staten Island Railway, and the Roosevelt Island Tram.

Tap the same card or device every time you ride, and you will automatically earn free transfers and hit the weekly fare cap without any extra paperwork.