Transit & Streets Reviewed July 2026
Who runs the subway, the buses, and the LIRR
Not the mayor. One state public benefit corporation sits over the subway, the buses, and both commuter railroads, and the city runs the ferry. Here is the org chart, from the law itself.
The numbers that matter
- The parent
- The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a New York State public benefit corporation created by the Public Authorities Law (Public Authorities Law § 1263, text as of December 2024, read July 2026)
- The operating agencies
- New York City Transit, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, and Bridges and Tunnels, with Construction & Development building the capital projects (mta.info About page, read July 2026)
- The board
- 23 members; voting members nominated by the governor, New York City's mayor, and the county executives in the service area (mta.info About page, read July 2026)
- The mayor's share
- Four of the sixteen voting members besides the chair are appointed on the mayor's written recommendation; all appointments are the governor's, with senate consent (Public Authorities Law § 1263, text as of December 2024, read July 2026)
One authority over all of it
Ask who runs the trains and the honest answer is a state corporation, not City Hall. The subway's operator answers to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the MTA answers to Albany. The law that created it says exactly what it is.
There is hereby created the "metropolitan transportation authority." The authority shall be a body corporate and politic constituting a public benefit corporation.
A public benefit corporation is Albany's tool for running things at arm's length: public purpose, its own board and books, outside the city's chain of command. It is why a mayor can promise subway fixes he cannot order.
The MTA's operating agencies are New York City Transit, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, and Bridges and Tunnels. Construction & Development supports these agencies by identifying, developing, and building the capital infrastructure projects needed to renew and enhance the MTA's extensive assets.
The subway and most buses live inside New York City Transit. The LIRR and Metro-North are separate railroads under the same roof, and Bridges and Tunnels collects the tolls that help pay for the rest.
Whose hand is on the board
Control comes down to appointments, and the appointment math tilts toward the governor. The MTA's own summary is diplomatic about it; the statute underneath is precise.
The MTA is governed by a 23-member Board. Voting members are nominated by the governor, New York City's mayor, and the county executives of the counties serving the MTA's service area.
Nominated undersells it. Every member is formally appointed by the governor with the state senate's consent, and the governor also names the chair, who doubles as chief executive.
Four of the sixteen voting members other than the chairperson shall be appointed on the written recommendation of the mayor of the city of New York
The city that supplies most of the riders recommends four votes. Seven suburban county executives get one resident member each, and the statute has the members from Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, and Rockland cast one collective vote among them.
Day to day, the authority is led by a chair and chief executive, a governor's pick confirmed by the senate, with each operating agency run by its own president underneath.
Who runs what, rider's version
Reading the nameplates: the subway and the city's local buses belong to New York City Transit; a slice of local and express bus routes belongs to MTA Bus; the railroads are the LIRR heading east and Metro-North heading north; and the boats are the city's.
The following fixed route modes are provided by NYCT: Subway, Local Bus and Express Bus. MTA Bus provides Local Bus and Express Bus modes.
Two bus operators, one map. New York City Transit and MTA Bus set their service standards side by side, which is why riders rarely notice the corporate seam between them.
NYC DOT operates the Staten Island Ferry, providing free service between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan every day of the week, year-round.
The big exception to the MTA map. The ferry is a city operation under the Department of Transportation, and it costs nothing to ride.
Who pays for all of this is its own story, told in how the MTA is funded. And for why your line's schedule looks the way it does, see how the subway decides service.
The questions New Yorkers actually ask
Does the mayor control the subway?
No. The subway is operated by New York City Transit, an agency of the MTA, which is a New York State public benefit corporation. The mayor recommends four of the board's voting members; the governor appoints the whole board with senate consent and names the chair.
Who runs the buses?
Two MTA agencies split them. New York City Transit provides subway, local bus, and express bus service, and MTA Bus Company provides local and express bus routes of its own. They publish shared service standards, so the seam is invisible to riders.
Is the LIRR part of the subway?
No. The Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad are separate commuter railroads, each its own MTA operating agency alongside New York City Transit and Bridges and Tunnels.
Who runs the Staten Island Ferry?
New York City's own Department of Transportation, not the MTA. The ferry runs between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan free of charge, every day of the year.
The documents
The public records this page draws on. Read them yourself:
Now watch the machinery move.
These pages explain how the city works on paper. The morning brief is how it worked today: what changed, what it means for your rent, your commute, and your block, in plain language.
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