Transportation Sec. calls NYC subway a 's---hole': How New Yorkers responded

NEW YORK - U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy doubled down on his criticism of the New York City subways this weekend, calling the mass transit system a "s***hole." 

While touring the Route 80 sinkholes on Saturday, he responded to a reporter's question about the subway system, he used profanity and accused New York Gov. Kathy Hochul of shirking her duty to keep riders safe.

"If you want people to take the train, take transit, then make it safe, make it clean, make it beautiful, make it wonderful," he said. "Don't make it a s***hole, which is what she's done. And she can fix it in hours."

The backstory:

This comes days after Duffy threatened to withhold or redirect federal funding to New York’s mass transit system if it doesn’t receive documentation of the steps taken to address crime and create a safe environment for riders and workers.

A woman feeds a baby while riding a packed subway train in the Manhattan borough of New York City on February 27, 2025. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

In a letter to the MTA, Duffy demanded a list of the actions and plans New York officials have taken to address transit worker assaults, fare evasion and other criminal activity, including customer assaults and injuries. The letter specifically mentions "passengers being pushed in front of trains," "subway surfing" and suicides.

The other side:

Both the MTA and transit advocates are pushing back. Despite some reason high-profile crimes, the MTA insists that the transit system is getting safer.

"If [Secretary Duffy] wants to contribute constructively to the improvement of our subway system, to the feeling in the city, the answer is to invest, to engage, not to try to tear us apart," said Danny Pearlstein, communication director with the Riders Alliance.

A Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) worker at the Brooklyn Bridge subway station in New York, US, on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

By the numbers:

Publicly available statistics show major crime on the subway system trending downward, transit officials point out.

Here's a look at the numbers:

• Overall crime: Officials point out that crime is down 40% compared to the same period in 2020 right before the pandemic
• Violent crime: Violent crime is rare overall in New York's subway system, which carries millions of riders every day. Train cars and stations are generally as safe as any other public place. The NYPD reported 382 crimes in the transit system so far this year, which includes 188 grand larcenies, 119 felony assaults, 70 robberies, three rapes and two burglaries.
• Felony assaults: Major felonies in the system have ticked down overall the past few years, although the number of assaults have risen, from 373 in 2019 to 579 in 2024, according to NYPD data.

What they're saying:

Are Duffy's comments fair? FOX 5 NY's Robert Moses took to the streets to find out. Here's what New Yorkers told him:

• "I don't necessarily think [the subways] have gotten worse, but I would say I don't have faith in Eric Adams to do anything about it."

• "It's not perfect. Mainly the flaws are a lot of homeless. If you go downstairs, they're usually right here, and they can ride the train. I don't think it's that bad, but it has its flaws."

• "It's just a big city. There's a lot of people. It's just unavoidable."