NYC Subway Etiquette Needs to Change – But Not Why You Think it Does

It’s 4:24 p.m. I’m at City Hall Station, waiting for another 4/5 train to rumble through the narrow tunnel so I can get to swim practice after school. I’ve been waiting here long enough to watch three trains come and go, each filled to the brim with people who refuse to move further into the cars to let me get on. Finally, I shove myself through the doors of a less crowded train by knots of disgruntled New Yorkers. No one apologizes as we jostle and bump into each other, tripping over bags and shoes. In the background, someone is blasting music, another person is spreading across two separate seats, and it smells like a passenger’s French fries. Many are on their phones, oblivious as their backpacks whack me in the face. Although I’ve grown up using the New York City public transportation system, I’ve only recently realized just how uncomfortable it is to travel around the city. 

In part, this issue of unpleasant commutes can be attributed to fundamental infrastructural problems within New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). For starters, subway cars are generally only deep-cleaned once every 72 days, according to a study done in late 2025. This contributes to the subway’s reputation of being physically grimy, stuffy, and often harboring an unhealthy environment. At times, there have even been traces of E. coli and Staphylococcus within the subway system—two bacteria deadly to humans. Additionally, train delays are all too frequent for our fast-paced city. A report from September 2025 states that around 18 percent of trains were delayed. Of these delays, 42 percent were caused by the physical wear on the subway cars. Such physical deterioration can reflect the MTA’s lack of funds, which are essential in maintaining a stable subway system. Since its establishment in 1968, the MTA has accumulated $49.6 billion in debt, a number that is estimated to rise to $55.6 billion by 2028. This debt has limited the MTA from completing substantial upgrades to the city’s system—additions such as the 2nd Avenue Project are still in progress after beginning in 2004.

These impairments within the transportation system are just a small fraction of a larger issue. New York’s first subway lines were established in 1900, and the city has lacked the geographical resources to facilitate major changes since then. While new lines have been added and the subways themselves have been modernized to fit modern standards, New York’s aging foundation limits its ability to support the upgrades the subway system requires. However, infrastructure concerns and frequent delays don't fully explain why a daily commute is so uncomfortable. Much of it boils down to the behavior of other riders. Over the past few months, I’ve been shoved, left standing outside a packed train, and cheated out of a seat due to someone’s shopping bags more times than I can count. 

New York was once known as a ‘melting pot,’ a place where people from different backgrounds come together in pursuit of opportunity. Yet New Yorkers have developed a reputation for being gruff and unapproachable over the course of the city’s establishment. In 1774, even John Adams wrote that despite the city’s “opulence and splendor,” there was “very little good breeding to be found.” Through the years, we’ve leaned into this stereotype, whether intentionally or not. 

We’ve become increasingly divided—a population that has turned selfishly inward instead of outward to support one another. While some communities remain supportive and close-knit, the overall divergence in New York’s culture makes acts of consideration increasingly rare. Instead, we have been denied a seat on the subway, shoved on the sidewalk, or screamed at by a random stranger. A lack of awareness towards our surroundings is most apparent through public transit. New York City subways, buses, and streets support over 8 million people. The majority of issues thus tend to arise in these areas due to the sheer number of citizens traveling within them. With so many people moving through the city, conflict is inevitable, but that is exactly why courtesy matters most. The scale of the city should intensify our responsibility for respect. How can we justify treating millions of our neighbors with such disregard? 

Still, many justify their actions by claiming the economic and physical demands of living in New York can be exhausting. In truth, we live in one of the busiest cities in the world, and it cannot be denied that such a lifestyle is tiring. In a report from the fall of 2025, about 38 percent of riders felt unsatisfied with the subway, while another 29 percent felt completely unsafe using the system. Yes, we live in a busy city, but with that comes an innate responsibility to treat others with courtesy. 

Ultimately, the cultural acceptance of rudeness in NYC’s transit system needs to end. Though we’ve seen improvements within the MTA—62 percent of riders were satisfied with the subway in 2024, as opposed to 57 percent in the previous year—the broader infrastructure is failing to support New York’s population. Frequent delays, physically uncomfortable subways, and the growing tension amongst commuters due to the demands of living in New York now make overall commuter etiquette critical to our society. Though we were once a united people, we’ve divided ourselves into a population that generally doesn’t care about those around them. If we wish to progress as a city—to further increase rider satisfaction and to once again make New York a place for every individual—we first need to change what may seem to be the simplest of issues. Subway and commuter etiquette within NYC matters now more than ever, not just for the individual commute, but to uphold a standard of respect in one of the greatest cities in the world.