Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

INTERACTIVE: These Are the Most Popular Spots on the B, D, F and M Trains

By Nigel Chiwaya | April 27, 2016 2:07pm

NEW YORK CITY — Seats may come at a premium on the Sixth Avenue subway lines, but that doesn't mean that riders don't have a preference.

In March, we asked DNAinfo New York readers to share their favorite spots on the subway, be they seats by the door or standing spots in the corner. Here's what we learned:

Morning Commuters, Moderate Commutes

Of the nearly 7,000 DNAinfo readers who have participated in the interactive, about 59 percent said they rode during the morning rush hour, between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. Most readers said their ride was of moderate length, as 63 percent said their commutes were between 15 and 45 minutes.

B Train Screenshot

The perpendicular corner seat is the most popular seat on the B train.

Unlike trains with purely parallel style seats, the trains on the B and D lines have cars with perpendicular that break up parallel rows seats. (The F and M lines also use these cars as well, but for our interactive we represented them with their more modern car types.) Given that we know New Yorkers prefer to sit near the doors, we would expect the perpendicular seats — particularly those in the corner — to among the among the least popular seats.

Surprisingly, this isn't the case on the B train. Instead, the perpendicular corner seat is actually the most popular seat. Seats by doors are popular on shorter rides — i.e., those less than 15 minutes — but for anything longer, B train riders indicated a desire to nestle into a corner.

This isn't the case on any of the other Sixth Avenue lines; the most popular seats on the D, F and M lines are all located near the doors. 

D Train Screenshot

F Train Screenshot

M Train Screenshot

The most popular seats on the D, F, and M lines are all near the doors.

When it comes to standing spots, you'll have to fight your way onto packed B and D trains. When asked where they would stand on a full train, 69.7 percent of B train riders and 72.9 of D train riders said they would stand right by the doors.

Riders on the more modern F and M cars will have better luck; less than 40 percent of riders on those lines picked standing spots in front of the doors.

Click the image below to see the full results for yourself, or click any of the links to see our summaries of other train lines. 

► INTERACTIVE: These Are the Most Popular Spots on 1, 2 and 3 Trains

► INTERACTIVE: These Are the Most Popular Seats on the 4/5/6 Trains

► INTERACTIVE: Here Are the Most Popular Spots on the 7 Train

► INTERACTIVE: Here's Where People Like to Ride on the A, C and E Trains

► INTERACTIVE: These Are the Most Popular Spots on the B, D, F and M Trains

► INTERACTIVE: Here's Where People Like to Sit and Stand on the G Train

► INTERACTIVE: Here's Where People Like to Stand and Sit on the L Train

► Here Are the Most Popular Spots on the N,Q and R Lines