Close to six million people use the subway every day — and according to a new MTA customer survey three-in-four of them are satisfied with service.
"That seems like an inflated number to me," said one skeptical straphanger.
"I think we need someone else to conduct the survey, not MTA itself," said another.
The 74 percent figure is down four points from last year and is the lowest mark since 2010.
The MTA expressed some satisfaction at the number, but riders and advocates we spoke to were dubious.
That's because ridership and delays are on the rise, creating more misery for straphangers and the transit agency.
"They try and put lipstick on a pig and say, well, you know, it's not significant," said Gene Russianoff of Straphangers Campaign. "But then it turns out that all the major reasons why you would be happy or unhappy with subway service dropped significantly."
The new survey shows about three out of four riders are satisfied with subway reliability, frequency and the predictability of travel time, but those percentages are all down from 2012.
"I think it's a warning shot to the Transit Authority," Russianoff said.
On some key indicators, the results are more troubling.
Just 48 percent say trains are not overcrowded during rush hour.
Only 63 percent are satisfied with train announcements.
A slightly better percentage are happy with station cleanliness.
"More people on the trains leave more things behind," said MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg. "More people on the trains have a harder time getting in and out the doors. It leads to delays in the subway system, it leads to crowding."
Despite the skepticism of so many riders we spoke with, the MTA says the survey actually serves a valuable purpose.
"It gives us areas that we should focus on, it's a scientific and rigorous way to look at what issues more to our customers than other issues do," Lisberg said.
Straphangers say there's plenty of room for improvement.
"The train delays are ridiculous and there's more fare hikes in the future," said one commuter. "I think we should be able to see better services from the MTA as opposed what we're getting now."