New year, new subway and bus fare in New York City. On Sunday, the price for an MTA ride will go up to $3, a 10-cent increase since the last fare hike in 2023.
New Yorkers wanted to watch videos about the subway and trash in 2025
by Daniel Shapiro
What New Yorkers watched in 2025 says a lot about what mattered this year.
In 2025, the city famously experienced the worst summer for subway service in seven years. So it’s no surprise that Gothamist readers eagerly watched and shared any promising improvements, be it a new map or totally new train cars on their favorite line. Your viewing habits back up the saying that “everyone takes the train.”
Everyone also has to get rid of their trash. But before Mayor Eric Adams launched the “trash revolution,” were we really disposing of it the right way? Our readers were eager to see the innovative tactics in action.
Speaking of the mayor, our readers were also eager to watch videos about the candidates in this year’s historical election.
These topics and more make up our 11 most watched videos of 2025:
Transit reporter Ramsey Khalifeh documented the debut of the MTA’s first “open gangway” subway trains, which lack doors between cars. One rider called them “refreshing.”
Brooklyn wigmaker Miriam Yarimi pleaded guilty to three counts of reckless manslaughter for the deaths of a mother and her two children in a car crash in March.
In April, education reporter Jessica Gould caught former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio delivering his blunt thoughts on the city’s mayoral election: His old nemesis, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, should not be mayor.
As part of his “trash revolution,” Mayor Adams rolled out a fleet of brand-new, $500,000 garbage trucks in Harlem. Read more about them from reporter Liam Quigley.
In April, then-candidate Zohran Mamdani released a Spanish-language ad to rave reviews. Native Spanish speakers praised it as a departure from the halting Spanish spoken by past mayors. Politics reporter Elizabeth Kim and “All Things Considered” host Sean Carlson broke down the ad as part of our weekly “Politics Brief” series.
Mayor Adams’ crusade against rats and garbage marched on as trash bins were installed in parking spots across Brooklyn. The goal? No more piles of garbage bags on sidewalks.
Subway riders have likely come across thousands of posters advertising Friend, a wearable AI necklace that listens to you and is meant to offer advice.
Gothamist reporter Ryan Kailath spoke to Friend CEO Avi Schiffmann, who, unlike the necklace, is tired of talking to New Yorkers.
Rep. Jerry Nadler’s office shared surveillance footage with Gothamist that shows the lead-up to a dramatic June confrontation between his staff and U.S. Department of Homeland Security officers, which ended with a congressional aide being handcuffed.
Gothamist’s Arya Sundaram covered the altercation. Nadler called for a congressional inquiry into the incident.
We’ll keep following the stories New Yorkers care about in 2026. Watch and share our videos on Instagram,
TikTok,
YouTube and Facebook.
An investigation by Gothamist and New York Focus found lenders are using a disputed method of calculating debts in thousands of foreclosures and taking money from hundreds of former homeowners.
