An increase in riders points to the need for more service and infrastructure upgrades, according to New York City Transit.Ridership on the Big Apple's subways in 2007 reached the highest level in more than 50 years, according to the New York City Transit Authority.

The New York Post reports that weekday subway ridership last year averaged more than 5 million trips a day -- the first time it has done so since 1952. In 2007, average weekend subway ridership was 5.1 million, an increase of 6.3 percent or 304,000 trips from 2006 and the highest weekend ridership in over 35 years.

Overall, New York City Transit's network of subways and buses drew 2.3 billion riders last year, the highest annual ridership since 1969.

NYC Transit President Howard Roberts pointed to strong tourism, a stable local economy and recent infrastructure upgrades as factors behind the ridership increase. But he also warned that additional funding will be needed to service the additional riders and pay for needed infrastructure.

Better funding for mass transit is just one reason NYLCV supports congestion pricing. Learn about that initiative and more in our 2008 New York City Policy Agenda.