NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Despite subways and buses continuing to run normally, ridership across the MTA has drastically dropped amid coronavirus concerns, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office revealed on Thursday.
According to MTA spokeswoman Kayla Shults, as of Wednesday, the total subway ridership was down 18.5 percent from the same Wednesday last year, while bus ridership dipped 15 percent.
Metro-North ridership is also down 48 percent while the Long Island Rail Road is down 31 percent from last year, Shults added.
Earlier this week, Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio urged people to avoid the riding the subways if possible as a way to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.
"We expect those declines to continue as mass gatherings are barred and major companies and universities move to telecommuting," MTA spokeswoman Abbey Collins said. "We continue to run regular service."
Bridge and tunnel vehicle crossings also dropped 6.7 percent on Wednesday compared to the previous year, the MTA said. Those tolls brought in $2.2 billion in revenue for the authority last year.
Buses and subways chief Sarah Feinberg said in a radio interview Thursday that the agency is preparing multiple contingency plans, including reduced service.
"If the CDC or the Department of Health at some point tells us to completely change how we operate the system, we will do that," Feinberg said. "For now, a lot of people are using the system, and we will continue to execute on that."
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