Faced with the eye-popping loss of hundreds of millions of dollars from fare evasion, the MTA is set to unveil a new high-tech system for catching people who don’t pay.
Chairman Janno Lieber said Wednesday a new initiative designed to stop the epidemic will go into effect once the computerized OMNY fare system is fully operational next year.
According to a study, the MTA lost $918 million in revenue in 2024 due to fare evasion.
CBS News New York
Underground army of tech-wielding agents
According to a recent study, 330 riders jumped subway turnstiles every minute last year, which explains why the transit agency is now about to unleash an army of fare agents with small computers that can ticket offenders instantly.
“They’ll have hand-held technology that allows them to check an OMNY card, a credit card, however you paid, whether it was on your phone, to confirm that you actually paid,” Lieber said.
The machines will also be able to spit out tickets and fines on the spot.
“I think that when people get fines and when they’re faced with the reality that there are consequences,” Lieber said.
And that’s not the only thing the MTA is doing to stop fare evasion. Lieber said the agency is experimenting with four or five different turnstile models, to see if it can build a better mousetrap.
MTA initiative inspired by success in Europe
According to a study by the Citizens Budget Commission, the MTA lost $918 million to fare evasion last year. That’s 174 million stolen fares, enough to pay for 180 new subway cars or 630 new buses or 36 miles of new train signals.
“The legitimacy of this system is at stake. If you’re riding and you see someone jumping a turnstile or going through a gate, you’re thinking, ‘Am I the schmuck who pays?’ We need everyone to pay their fair share,” said Andrew Rein, of the Citizens Budget Commission.
Rein said what the MTA is attempting is a system that has worked in many European cities.
“I had a friend who was in Paris who didn’t understand how the system worked, but literally was stopped in the middle of a station because she inadvertently didn’t pay her fare and paid a fine, really, right in the station with an enforcement agent,” Rein said.
“It’s an in-between idea”
Some New Yorkers who spoke to CBS News New York about the new fare evasion initiative took a measured approach.
“I love it because people have to pay the price,” one said.
“That’s kind of scary. So they know me already and they’re gonna give me a ticket. I fear it a bit,” another said.
“There’s other ways you can resolve this issue, you know? Instead of having constant cops around, just have one person constantly looking out,” another said.
“It’s an in-between idea. I mean, good, bad, but it’s fair,” another said.
“New Yorkers? You know how they are. They will always have a way. I remember they put this like turn stuff and stuff. They try to find ways to evade it, so that’s how it is. It’s gonna be interesting to say the least,” another added.