New York City’s famed subway is by many measures the largest mass transit system in the world, and it runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While you can travel all over the City for just $2.75 a ride, the size of the subway system can also make it somewhat intimidating for newcomers. Fear not: it’s actually easy. Just read our 15 insider tips, and you too will soon be a pro at riding the rails through the five boroughs.
How to Ride the Subway
Watch the video below for the inside scoop on finding a subway station, buying a MetroCard and figuring out the subway platform.
1. Know the magic numbers.
The fare for one ride on the subway is $2.75, and the most economical way to pay is by purchasing multiple rides on your MetroCard. There’s a built-in 5% bonus on multi-ride cards, so—if you don’t want to waste any money—just buy a MetroCard for $23 and you will get exactly 8 rides, or $45 for 16 rides and so on (note: these include the $1 fee for a new MetroCard; the calculations will differ slightly if you’re reloading money on an existing card). If you’re in town for a while and plan to use the subway a lot, the best deal may be a one-week ($32) or one-month ($121) unlimited-ride pass. For more fun with MetroCard math, check out the MTA’s own
2. Watch the clock.
The subway runs 24 hours a day, but service does change a great deal between midnight and 6am. While the cars don’t exactly turn into pumpkins à la Cinderella at midnight, all express trains run local, wait times between trains increase and service stops on certain lines. The key to late-night travel is MTA’s underpublicized
3. Embrace the color code.
New York City’s subway entrances, with their distinctive iron gates and round colored globes, are works of art—but they also indicate what you’ll find once you get underground. A green globe means you can buy a MetroCard and enter through a turnstile all day and night. A red globe means you can only use that entrance if you already have a MetroCard (and money on it), as there will be no way to purchase one down below. Sometimes red entrances are exit only or have limited hours of operation, but these should be marked with a sign outside explaining details.
4. Check the schedule.
Believe it or not, subway trains run on a timetable. You can find scheduled arrivals and departures for each line on
5. Estimate travel times.
The subway is frequently the quickest way between points A and B in NYC. If you need to estimate how long a trip might take, a good rule of thumb is an average of two minutes of travel time per station. So if you’re wondering how long your ride will be, look at a subway map, count the stops to your destination and multiply that number by two: traveling two stops equals four minutes, four stops means eight minutes and so on. Expect express stops to take a bit longer than that. Of course, waiting time is another story, and an unscheduled train delay can change things in a New York minute.
6. Stay up to date.
While there are plenty of maps and signs posted through the system, the MTA’s website (
7. Feel free to transfer (to the bus).
Subway and bus service in the City are both run by the MTA; both accept MetroCard payment. Riders get a free transfer between the two modes of transit for two hours from their initial swipe. Note that you can go from bus to subway, subway to bus or bus to bus—but you can’t switch to a bus on the same line going in the opposite direction. For real-time bus info, go to the MTA’s
8. Beware the empty car.
Sometimes you’ll see a crowded train pull into the station with just one empty car, a rarity in the bustling City. It may seem like a gift, but unfortunately it is often the opposite: the air-conditioning is not working in that car, or there may be an unpleasant odor or a spill on the floor. The main thing to know is to proceed to the next car, which may be full but will surely offer a more agreeable ride.
9. Respect the rules of the rails.
Following a few basic underground etiquette rules will make you feel like a real New Yorker and help New Yorkers appreciate you too.
• When the doors open, always let others get off before you get on.
• Once on board, don’t stand near the doors—move toward the middle of the car.
• It’s one seat per person; bags go on your lap or the floor, and your feet don’t go on the seats.
• When standing, always hang on to the poles. Never lean against the poles, as that prevents others from holding on.
• When walking on stairs, platforms and passageways, always keep to the right. On escalators, stand to the right and walk to the left.
10. Have an exit strategy.
NYC subway trains are typically 8 to 11 cars long (some, like the G train, are well short of that) and can stretch nearly 600 feet, the length of two city blocks. Because of this, most subway stations have multiple entrances—and knowing where to enter and exit a station can make your journey more efficient. An app called
11. Take a shortcut to Queens (or the Bronx).
The subway is not the only train in town; the MTA also runs commuter lines
12. Ride to the river.
Among the City’s newest subway stations,
13. Express yourself.
Novice riders should pay close attention to the difference between local and express trains. On the MTA subway map, local stops are indicated by black circles while express stops are shown as white circles. Express trains barrel through the local stations and thus make quicker trips; just make sure you’re aware of the kind of stop your final destination is—and transfer to a local line (usually right across the platform) if the train you’re on doesn’t stop where you want to get off.
14. Get online underground.
As of January 2017, all underground subway stations have cell service and also free WiFi courtesy of
15. Find middle ground.
If you’re a first-timer looking for the best place to ride on the subway, it’s easy to find—just go to the center car, where the conductors ride. You’ll see them poking their heads out in the station to check the closing doors. The area is marked by a black-and-white-stripe zebra board, which hangs above the platform. So if you look up, you can find it before the train arrives. The conductors can answer questions about subway travel.