Governor’s Budget Delivers on All Her Public Safety Plans in State Budget Deal

Makes Investments in Increased Law Enforcement Presence, Supports Further Installation of New Protective Barriers And LED Lighting

Continues Crack Down on Fare Evasion as Ridership Skyrockets to Highest Levels Since Pandemic Era While Fare Evasion Drops 11 Percent

Expands Outreach Services, Strengthens Mental Health Laws To Get People With Serious Mental Illness Into Compassionate Care

As a Result of Governor’s Continued Efforts, Subway Crime Down 11 Percent YTD in 2025 and 16 Percent Compared to Pre-Pandemic Levels in 2019

Governor Kathy Hochul on May 1st, joined MTA officials and law enforcement to highlight a FY 2026 New York State Budget deal that delivers on the Governor’s public safety commitments to continue making our subways safer for all riders and transit workers. These major investments increase the presence of law enforcement, make crucial safety upgrades in protective barriers and LED lighting and continue cracking down on fare evasion. New York City’s Subways continue to experience the lowest levels of crime overall outside the pandemic since the 1990s — and as a result of the Governor’s continued efforts to prioritize public safety and make our subways safer, crime is down 11 percent since last year and down 16 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels.

“When it comes to keeping New Yorkers safe - I refuse to back down, and that is why I fought for a budget that is delivering on my promises to add more police in our subways, invests in crucial safety upgrades, and cracks down on shameless fare evaders,” Governor Hochul said. “For New York City to thrive, our mass transit system must be safe, strong and reliable, and we are delivering a State Budget that supports these goals.”

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Earlier this year, Governor Hochul announced comprehensive steps to increase law enforcement presence, expand public resources and strengthen mental health policies to make the transit system safer for New Yorkers. As a result, subway crime is down 11 percent year-to-date in 2025 and 16 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Additionally, serious crimes in New York City are down 8 percent year-to-date compared to the same period in 2024.

To build on this momentum, Governor Hochul’s FY26 New York State Budget includes investments to fund safety initiatives, mental health programs and infrastructure improvements across the subway system.

"When it comes to keeping New Yorkers safe - I refuse to back down, and that is why I fought for a budget that is delivering on my promises to add more police in our subways, invests in crucial safety upgrades, and cracks down on shameless fare evaders." -- Governor Hochul

Increased Patrols and Safety Measures

• $77 million to partner with NYPD to increase police presence on platforms and trains by temporarily surging patrol levels for six months.
• An additional $45 million for the National Guard Empire Shield mission to continue to deter and prevent terrorist activity in the New York City area, including transit and commuter hubs.

Mental Health Investments

• Deploying Safe Options Support (SOS) teams across the subway to deliver timely care directly to individuals, including helping more than 700 NYC residents experiencing chronic homelessness achieve permanent housing.
• Working with the NYC Department of Homeless Services to expand their 24/7 “Welcome Center” model and creating spaces for mobile outreach teams to better connect and coordinate services, including for Subway Co-Response Outreach Teams (SCOUT) teams trained to address the most severe cases of mental health crisis within the subway system.

Infrastructure Improvements

• Making the biggest capital investment in New York’s transportation history by fully funding the MTA’s proposed $68.4 billion 2025-2029 Capital Plan to build the Interborough Express, crack down on fare evasion and focus on much needed repairs and upgrades.
• Installing new protective barriers on subway platforms to protect riders and LED lighting in all subway stations throughout the system to increase visibility throughout the stations.
• Install new fare gate systems in more than 150 subway stations to increase fare collection and improve accessibility.