Subway ridership increased in June while crime dropped in the system, according new data released ahead of this week’s MTA board and committing meetings.
A total of 111 major felonies occurred on the subways in June — down from 168 the previous month, according to NYPD data to be shown to board members on Monday.
Adjusted for ridership, crime dropped from 2.87 felonies per million riders in May to 1.77 felonies per million riders in June — the closest its come to pre-pandemic levels since March 2020.
Subway crime rates soared amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019, when NYPD recorded a comparatively scant 1.47 felonies million riders.
Felony assaults nearly doubled from April to May, with 37 and 65 reported, respectively, prompting an outcry from transit leaders for more police underground.
Mayor Bill de Blasio on May 17 relented to weeks of pressure from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state-run MTA and added 125 extra cops to the morning and evening rush hour.
NYPD stats obtained by The Post in June showed crime tapered off about a week after Hizzoner announced the plans to add more cops.
Ridership has also increased in the weeks since — from 58.4 million subway trip in May to 65.5 million in June — more than double the 31.1 million trips taken last October, when much of the city remained closed down due to COVID.
MTA officials also doubled the number of private security guards patrolling the system from 100 to 200 earlier this year. Every subway station should be equipped with surveillance cameras by the end of the summer, an MTA spokesman said.
“The recent decline in transit crime started in June, following the addition of more than 1,100 NYPD officers to the subway system — which came after months of MTA requests,” the spokesman, Aaron Donovan, said in a statement.
“The trend is good news for our riders and is reflective of the MTA’s ‘all of the above’ approach to improving safety and security in the transit system — with additional security personnel, cameras and increased ridership.”