Gov. Kathy Hochul, the MTA and the NYPD say New York City's subway system is getting safer, despite a recent string of high-profile transit crimes. 

They point to new data showing crime at historic lows, and ridership being on the rise. 

Hochul is facing what could be a tough reelection campaign next year. Thursday, she bragged that state funds she allocated for extra police patrols in the subway has driven down crime substantially. She pushed back hard on subway safety concerns as related to recent headlines. 

Hochul, speaking at Grand Central Madison Thursday, said ridership is up and crime is down. Major crime in the transit system is down 5.2% from the year prior, and 14.4% from 2019, Hochul said. The year is on track to be the second safest year in terms of subway crime ever, with the exception of the pandemic, Hochul said.  

Ridership broke a post-pandemic record for the third time in two weeks on Dec. 11, Hochul said. Ridership is up almost 8% year to date, with more than 1.2 billion rides. 

Standing with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Hochul gave outgoing Mayor Eric Adams credit for the subway safety turnaround. She also announced a large new boost to subway safety. Starting next year, the state will invest $77 million for increased police patrols. 

"These funds will support over 600 officers per day and keep riders safe, and surge patrols when they're most needed at the discretion of our police commissioner to help cover overtime for those who are going above and beyond, and make sure that people can ride the subways without fear," Hochul said. 

"One crime is one too many"

Hochul said subway crime is now at its lowest level in 16 years, but those statistics come on the heels of several violent incidents in recent days, raising questions about perception. That includes a 16-year-old boy stabbed in the stomach in an unprovoked attack on the bus in Queens. 

"Everyone thinks of their own 16-year-old when on the subway, and is this something they could be exposed to, or become a victim. So that is real. We will never dismiss people's emotions and feelings," Hochul said. "One crime is one too many. This is not a celebration moment, but it is a continuation with what we know is working." 

The governor and MTA officials noted that 115 subway stations now have platform barriers, which is part of a broader effort to prevent falls, pushes and track intrusions. 

Hochul says the patrols will start ramping up in the coming weeks. 

"This isn't by accident"

"New Yorkers aren't just safer on our subways now than they've been in years — they're feeling safer, too," Tisch said. "This isn't by accident, it is the result of our transit safety plan — the precision deployment of cops to the platforms and trains where the majority of crime actually occurs, and the men and women of the NYPD who effectively execute this plan."

"This has been the most consequential year in the history of the MTA for many reasons — surging ridership and customer satisfaction and our historic capital plan, but nothing is more important than safety," MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said. 

Aside from subway safety, Hochul will also have to deal with demands from Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for free buses.