The MTA is key for most students getting to school and getting home. Using the train or bus to get to school or both, depending on where you live. But recently, the MTA bus and train have been experiencing delays caused by major incidents in the train station. MTA buses are experiencing delays due to slow speeds and long routes.

Bus routes earned D and F grades for speed and reliability. This summer only 53% of bus routes are running at below average speed. From late June 2025, the MTA has introduced an increase in the bus rate on 16 local bus routes throughout the 5 boroughs. Redesigning the route of buses across the boroughs. And enforcing parking restrictions to increase bus speed. For example, the Queen bus network is going under a Network Redesign, improving connections and simplifying the network. Lowering the travel time and making the trip much better.

Summer 2025 was one of the worst recorded summers for the MTA since 2018. In just June and July, the MTA experienced 138 incidents that delayed more than 50 trains. With projects like the Second Avenue subway expansion  having a budget of up to 7 billion dollars, the city has to beg for more money to complete infrastructure repair and preservation for the MTA, which is highly needed and is struggling to prioritize the needs of the city. Although these incidents were in the summer, they still affected students throughout New York. Summer 2024, more than 100,000 students attended the summer rising program, a free combined summer school and camp program in NYC. About 75% of these students were affected by these constant delays. 

Schedules
The schedule for the bus and train is important for students to know.  The MTA schedule can sometimes change at random for better or for worse for people. But for students it only changes for the worse, many students have to make their morning routine work with the train or bus schedule. If the train or bus schedules change due to track maintenances or train incidents. It can really affect student attendance.

Safety Issues
MTA, just like any other transit system, is unfortunately shadowed by its little share of hazards. For students onboard the subway or buses, issues of safety abound, especially late at night or in poorly populated areas. Harassment, theft, and even allegations of violence often crop up against hosting authorities; such a risk is much more of a concern for younger students traveling alone. While the MTA has tried to increase police presence everywhere, many students say that they still do not feel safe in their daily commutes.

In addition, some of these subway stations and buses could themselves be a hindrance to safety. For these students, overcrowded trains, lack of good ventilation, or stations with poor lighting could be enough to render that commute unpleasant or simply unsafe. 

Subway surfing in NYC has become a popular trend recently with teens. Subway surfing is when a person rides in between, on the back, front, or on the top of the train cars. This recent trend has killed many teens, within various age groups. According to the New York Post and NBC in 2025 alone at least six people have died from subway surfing. Five of them were teens. 

Weather Issues
The weather plays an important role in pretty much everyone’s everyday life. When the weathers bad most people prefer to stay indoors versus when its nicer more people like to come out. The weather affects the MTA in numerous ways. Because of the old infrastructure and systems in the train stations,  sometimes malfunctions. There have been multiple times when train stations flooded and whole train routes were shutdown. 

Personalization
Disabled people in New York City very much remains in need of MTA access. Although some amount of improvements have been made in regard to elevators and ramp systems, several subway station areas are still devoid of such facilities, posing travel difficulties to those with mobility issues.

The transit agency quite literally molds the daily lives of thousands of children in New York City. From the affordable, accessible, and reliable transportation means offered, students have always been able to attend school, take part in extracurricular activities, and cultivate some sense of independence. Other than that, it brings a host of challenges, including concerns with safety, lengthy commute times, and being downright inconsistent. 

Like New York City must grow and evolve, its transit system must do the same too. With the right investments and restructuring, it may be possible for the MTA to cater better to the needs of the city’s students so that they shall reach the education and opportunity worthy of them without bearing the burdens of unsafe, unreliable, and inefficient modes of transport.