How to File an MTA Complaint Form: Online, Phone, or Mail

To file a complaint with the MTA, use the online form at mta.info/contact-us, call 511, or mail a written complaint to the operating agency involved. The channel that matters most is the right one for your issue: a service gripe, an injury, an employee fraud tip, and a discrimination claim each go to a different place, and a complaint sent to the wrong office can sit unanswered.

The MTA is not a single agency. It oversees New York City Transit (subways and buses), the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, Bridges and Tunnels, MTA Bus, the Staten Island Railway, and its own police department. Most complaints start at the same two access points, but a few categories have their own intake.

Match Your Issue to the Right Channel

Before you file anything, figure out which channel handles your issue.

Day-to-day service problems, including delays, crowding, cleanliness, broken equipment, rude employees, and MetroCard or OMNY issues, go through the general online system or 511.¹
Personal injury or property damage needs the MTA’s personal injury claim form, not the feedback system, and there is a hard 90-day deadline from the date of the incident.²
Fraud, waste, employee theft, vendor corruption, or misuse of MTA resources goes to the Office of the MTA Inspector General, a separate office from the MTA itself.³
Discrimination based on race, color, or national origin can be filed as a Title VI complaint with the MTA’s Department of Diversity and Civil Rights or directly with the Federal Transit Administration within 180 days.⁴
ADA accessibility issues, such as inaccessible stations, broken elevators, or denied reasonable modifications, have a dedicated intake online or through 511.⁵
Complaints about an MTA Police officer go through the MTAPD’s website, in person at any command, or to the Internal Affairs Bureau at (212) 878-1278.⁶

The sections below walk through the standard service complaint first, then the injury claim, the Inspector General, and Title VI in turn.

What to Gather Before You File

Specificity is what makes a complaint actionable. Write down the following as soon as possible, before memory fades:

The exact date and approximate time of the incident. Staff use this to pull schedules, camera footage, and system logs.
The subway line, bus route, commuter rail line, or bridge or tunnel involved.
The vehicle number. The MTA specifically asks for the number of your subway car, bus, or train car, posted on both the interior and exterior of the vehicle.¹
Direction of travel and location: uptown or downtown, the station name, or the nearest intersection.
Employee details if a specific worker is involved: badge number, name, or a physical description and role.

“Tuesday, March 11, approximately 6:15 PM, southbound 4 train, car 7842, at Fulton Street station” is something the MTA can investigate. “A weekday evening on the 4 train” is not.

Filing a Service Complaint Online

Go to mta.info/contact-us and pick the reporting option that matches your issue. The system routes your submission to the department responsible for the service involved: NYC Transit, Metro-North, LIRR, Bridges and Tunnels, or MTA Bus.¹ Select the type of issue and the agency, then describe what happened.

Keep the description factual: what occurred, where, when, and who was involved. Include the vehicle number and any employee identifying details. Give your name, email, and phone number so the agency can follow up; anonymous submissions through this portal are harder to investigate and may not get a response.

Filing by Phone or Mail

To file by phone, dial 511 and say the name of the service you need: “Subways and Buses,” “Long Island Rail Road,” “Metro-North Railroad,” or “Bridges and Tunnels.” A representative will take your details.¹

A written complaint by mail creates a paper trail, useful if you want to escalate later. For New York City Transit complaints (subways and local buses), the address is:

MTA New York City Transit
130 Livingston Street, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Mailing addresses for the other operating agencies are on the MTA’s contact page. Include the same details you would enter online: date, time, route, vehicle number, a clear description, and your contact information.

What Happens After You File

The MTA sends an acknowledgment after you submit. For ADA-related complaints, the agency states that customers will receive an initial acknowledgment promptly and that complaints will be resolved on first contact where possible, though some require additional investigation.⁵ The MTA does not publish a guaranteed response timeline for general service feedback.

Investigators may contact you for more details or witness information if the case needs a closer look. Keep any reference number you receive; you’ll need it to check the status.

There is no formal published appeals process for standard service complaints. If the response doesn’t satisfy you, your practical options are to resubmit with additional detail, escalate through elected officials, or use a dedicated channel where one exists. ADA complaints have a separate appeals procedure for reasonable modification requests, and Title VI complaints can be escalated to the FTA.⁵

Injury or Property Damage: File a Claim, Not a Complaint

If you were hurt or your property was damaged on MTA property or vehicles, the general feedback form is the wrong tool. File the MTA’s personal injury claim form, and do it within 90 days of the incident. That deadline comes from New York General Municipal Law § 50-e, which requires a notice of claim before you can sue any public authority in the state.⁷

The claim form asks for far more than a complaint:

Personal details: full name, date of birth, address, Social Security number, driver’s license number, Medicare number, MetroCard number, and contact information.
Incident specifics: date, time, and exact location. For train incidents, the station, line, direction of travel, car number, and door location. For bus incidents, the operator, bus line, bus number, direction, and whether you were standing or sitting.
Medical information: first treatment date, treating physician, hospital, ambulance company, and days lost from work.
Itemized damages: medical costs, lost wages, and other expenses, with a total amount claimed.
Supporting evidence: photos, video, police reports, and the back of your MetroCard.

Email the completed form and supporting documents to serviceclaims@nyct.com within the 90-day window. The form carries a certification that the information is true, and false statements carry criminal and civil penalties. If the claim isn’t resolved, you have one year and 90 days from the date of the incident to file a lawsuit.²

Miss the 90-day deadline and you may lose the right to sue. Courts can grant late filing in limited circumstances, but counting on that is a bad strategy. If you’re injured, start the claim process immediately, before you know the full extent of your medical costs.

Reporting Fraud, Waste, or Misconduct

Reports about employee fraud, contractor abuse, waste of public funds, or internal misconduct go to the Office of the MTA Inspector General, a separate and independent office. The IG handles matters like kickback schemes, timesheet fraud, misuse of agency resources, and vendor corruption. It is not the channel for a late train or a rude driver.

Three ways to report:³

Online, through the complaint form at mtaig.ny.gov.
By phone, at 1-800-MTA-IG4U (1-800-682-4448).
By mail, to the Office of the MTA Inspector General, One Penn Plaza, 11th Floor, Suite 1110, New York, NY 10119.⁸

The IG encourages you to identify yourself so investigators can follow up, but anonymous reports are accepted. If you request confidentiality, the office will maintain it unless required by law or court order to disclose your identity. The IG may share the substance of your report with the relevant MTA agency, but won’t hand over your contact information without consent.³ If you file anonymously and later want a status update, you’ll need the reference number assigned to your complaint.

Title VI Discrimination Complaints

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs, which covers all MTA services. If you believe you were denied service, treated differently, or harassed by MTA employees on those grounds, you can file with the MTA, with the federal government, or both.

To file with the MTA, send a written complaint to:⁹

MTA Headquarters
Department of Diversity and Civil Rights
2 Broadway, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10004
(800) 466-8577

To file directly with the federal government:

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Transit Administration
Office of Civil Rights Complaint Team
East Building, 5th Floor — TCR
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE
Washington, DC 20590

Federal complaints should be filed within 180 days of the alleged violation.⁴ Include the details of what happened, when and where, who was involved, and any witnesses. The federal route is worth using if the MTA’s internal process doesn’t take your complaint seriously; the FTA investigates independently.

1
Metropolitan Transportation Authority. How to Contact the MTA
2
Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Personal Injury Claim Form
3
Office of the MTA Inspector General. Frequently Asked Questions – Complaints
4
Federal Transit Administration. File a Complaint with FTA
5
Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Make an ADA-Related Complaint or Request
6
Metropolitan Transportation Authority. MTA Police Department Civilian Complaint Process
7
New York State Senate. New York General Municipal Law 50-E – Notice of Claim
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Office of the MTA Inspector General. Complaint Form
9
Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Nondiscrimination Notice to the Public