But though the crime rate in the subways remains much lower than it was in the 1980s and 90s, a story by my colleagues Emma Fitzsimmons and Edgar Sandoval found that many riders are concerned that crime and disorder may be heading in the wrong direction.

[Read their story about the uptick in subway crime.]

A retired legal secretary said that when she takes the train, she makes sure there’s nothing valuable in her purse.

A woman in Brooklyn said she accompanies her 10-year-old grandson on the subway, for security.

Even an M.T.A. dispatcher, Lora Hinds, said she takes precautions. She avoids wearing jewelry on the trains, and, she said, “I try not to travel at night if I don’t have to.”

For longtime residents, the subways are much safer than they used to be. Scott M. Stringer, the city comptroller, said that when he was growing up, the A train was a “rolling crime scene.” Hardly anyone would describe it like that today.

Still, transit crimes were up 3.8 percent last year, and have been increasing since 2014. And a series of high profile incidents — including video of a police officer fighting several men in a subway in December — has brought more attention to the issue.