MTA Riders Must Wear Masks Or Face $50 Fine

NEW YORK CITY — MTA riders have one more reason to wear a mask on trains and buses — a new $50 fine.

The fines will start Sept. 14 as a way to enforce the state's mandatory mask wearing rule and boost confidence in the transit system, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

About 90 percent of riders already comply with the rule designed to stop the coronavirus' spread, he said.

"So for the handful of non-compliant people this will reinforce that," Cuomo said Wednesday.

Masks are required on all @MTA subways & buses.

No rider has the right to endanger fellow riders by putting themselves above the law & refusing to wear a mask.

The vast majority of people are complying & I thank them.

For the handful who refuse, there will be a new $50 fine.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) September 10, 2020

Cuomo announced the $50 fines during a conference call with MTA officials.

MTA's transit police as well as NYPD officers will enforce the rule, said Sarah Feinberg, interim president of New York City Transit.

"When we have someone who is seen by an officer who is not complying, who refuses to wear a mask, those are the folks who are going to be fined," she said.

MTA officials recently have cast dire forecasts about the transit service's finances amid falling ridership in the coronavirus pandemic.

Cuomo said the fine is meant to keep mask compliance high as New York City reopens and reassure passengers concerned about safety.

"This is about building public confidence in this new reality," he said.