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> NYC's subway had 2 billion riders last year.

Either you're claiming that a quarter of the world's population at some point rode the NYC subway last year, or they're counting ridership non-uniquely, meaning that's a much smaller number of people riding multiple times a year (much more probable).

> How many of them do you think were victims of a crime while riding?

Assuming the latter interpretation, the absolutely most charitable interpretation of the metrics (including the assumption they're complete) says a crime happens every million rides[1]. But that greatly depends on what you mean by a "crime", as only the most severe crimes are counted, and they are only counted if reported.

As someone who's actually ridden public transport several times in the US and doesn't anymore, the reason why is that I observed crimes happening almost constantly. I made the mistake of riding the RTD after moving to Denver and found people openly smoking fentanyl in the train cars, and saw a fight break out. I have been able to personally avoid the consequences of this because I take precautions when I am in public and now actively avoid public transport in the US. FWIW, it's bad enough in NYC that crazy things (most of which are crimes) happening on the subway is a running joke in New York City that's considered relatable enough outside NYC that it's a regular gag on SNL.

[1]: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/06/nyregion/nyc-subway-crime...




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