Subway crime in NYC has decreased, but violent attacks have left a lasting impression on commuters.

Janno Lieber, head of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), stated that recent high-profile subway attacks have caused people to feel that the subway system is unsafe due to these incidents getting into their heads.

On Monday, Bloomberg News' podcast "Bloomberg Talks" featured a discussion with Lieber about a new "congestion pricing" plan that charges drivers $9 to cross below Central Park or enter Lower Manhattan from Brooklyn and New Jersey.

The objective is to motivate New Yorkers to utilize public transportation. Nevertheless, Lieber acknowledged, the confidence in mass transit has been undermined following subway attacks.

Suggesting that recent viral incidents are giving people the impression of feeling unsafe, Lieber argued that crime has actually decreased.

""Despite a 12.5% decrease in crime last year compared to 2019, the year before COVID, some high-profile incidents have made the public feel less safe about the system," Lieber stated."

Lieber acknowledged that the justice system must ensure that individuals with extensive criminal records are incarcerated.

He maintained that although there are only a few of them, they have a significant impact on people's sense of safety. As such, it is crucial to handle them appropriately to safeguard both riders and the public.

The implementation of the congestion pricing plan was prompted by a high-profile case of an illegal immigrant accused of setting a woman on fire in the NYC subway system last month.

Recently, a man was charged with attempted murder after allegedly pushing another man onto the subway tracks in NYC.

In 2023, former Marine Daniel Penny was charged but found not guilty by a jury for defending subway passengers from a mentally unstable homeless man named Jordan Neely, who later died.

To combat the surge of violent crimes, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul dispatched 1,000 National Guard members to safeguard the subway system and instructed the MTA to install security cameras in subway cars.