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New York Post
MTA deploys crew of enforcers to stomp out fare beating as nearly half of NYC bus riders don’t pay
By Nicole Rosenthal, Dorian Geiger,
3 hours ago
Fare evasion is so rampant on city buses that almost half of all riders aren’t paying – as scrambling transit officials deploy a new crew of enforcers to catch the freeloaders.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s unarmed “fare inspectors” will be stationed in buses and at bus stops after fare evasion skyrocketed from 21% in 2020 to roughly 50% in the first quarter of 2024 — costing estimated millions in lost revenue every year.
“The MTA uses your fares to hire more bus operators and mechanics, expand and modernize our fleet, and improve frequency and reliability,” the MTA said in a statement. “When you pay your fares, you are helping us deliver better service to the over two million New Yorkers who rely on buses every single day.”
An MTA agent checks a bus rider’s fare receipt at multiple stop locations. ZUMAPRESS.com
Bus hopping has cost the transit system $312 million in 2022 alone, according to the agency — sapping a pool of money that helps fund about a quarter of the system’s budget.
MTA bus driver Curtis Carrington, 43, who has been driving for nine years, told The Post farebeating was so common it was comical — and scoffed at the idea drivers should be the ones responsible for enforcing.
His job, he said, starts and finishes with getting passengers safely from point A to point B, nothing more, nothing less.
“I see it all the time — everyday,” Carrington said. “Out of a busload of people — let’s say 10 people got on, maybe two paid.
“I just look the other way — we’re taught not to fight the fare,” Carrington added. “We’ve got people that have gotten assaulted and stabbed because of them fighting the fare.”
Fare evasion has contributed to the $428 million budget deficit the MTA is slated to see by 2027 – a gap that could only grow larger with stalled congestion pricing. Christopher Sadowski
If the inspectors fare better in fighting fare evasion remains to be seen. Inspectors can ask fare jumpers to get off a bus or can issue a ticket between $50 and $100, according to the MTA.
The inspectors were “soft launched” last year but expanded funding in the 2024 fiscal year will allow for up to 100 inspectors in the 2024 fiscal year, with the staff to be supported by NYPD officers.
The latest rollout comes during an ongoing initiative to get fare payments back up to pre-pandemic levels – including fare enforcement on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North, as well as gate guards at subway stations.
Fare inspectors will be able to issue tickets, the MTA said. Gregory P. Mango
While bus drivers have historically shouldered the burden of fare enforcement, the tides shifted due to a policy that emerged in 2008 after a Brooklyn bus driver was stabbed by a fare evader, Gothamist reported.
Protected cockpits for bus drivers were unveiled in 2023 , according to the union representing MTA bus drivers, and aimed to protect drivers from “unhinged riders” who could “reach around partitions to strike or throw objects,” the union said last year.
Bulletproof protective cockpits should be prioritized by the MTA to protect their drivers, Carrington told The Post.
“I think it’s a priority, honestly, for our safety,” he said.
Fellow MTA bus driver Arlanda Jones agreed.
“We don’t even know where they’re coming from. They could have a razor,” Jones, 42, said. “They could have a knife.
“People have been calling me a bitch all the time. And I didn’t even do anything. I don’t [deserve it] — but I still get them to where they got to go safely. That’s my job. So I swallow that,” she added.
The new statistics also come as the MTA’s five-year plan assumes an increase for 4% in 2025 and another 4% in 2027. Jimin Kim/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
The expanded rollout this year comes as 46.9% of local bus riders and 56.6% SBS bus riders dodged payments in the first quarter of 2024.
That’s compared to subway fare evasion rates at 14% during the same time period.
The new statistics also come as the MTA’s five-year plan assumes an increase for 4% in 2025 and another 4% in 2027 – raising a single ride ticket to about $3 and $3.14, respectively.
For the latest metro stories, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/metro/
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