Subway Fare Evasion Down More Than 25% In Last Six Months: MTA

NEW YORK CITY — In the last six months, fare evasion in the New York City subway system has decreased by 26 percent, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The data was collected from June 2024 through December 2024, according to officials. Across buses, including both the local and express bus network, fare evasion is down by 9.1 percent over the same period of time.

The recent developments come after strategic deployment of enforcement, modifications to fare gates at high-traffic stations and other measures helping to reduce fare evasion.

“We’re turning the tide against fare evasion to help protect transit riders and taxpayers and continue strengthening our transit system,” Hochul said in a statement.

"Our work is far from over – and we’ll continue to crack down on fare evasion this year through strong enforcement and new measures coming to subway turnstiles and fare gates throughout the system.”

In 2024, the NYPD issued 143,100 TAB summonses for subway fare evasion. In addition, the NYPD also created a new uniformed Bus Enforcement Unit that has been deployed alongside the MTA’s “EAGLE Team” to support fare compliance across all five boroughs.

The MTA deployed unarmed gate guards across more than 208 subway stations, an expansion from 50 stations.

"Our strategy has been to publicize the seriousness of the problem, to put in place stronger physical barriers, and to make sure there’s plenty of enforcement. We welcome the support we’re getting from Governor Hochul and the NYPD, and also the work that MTAPD is doing on the railroads, and it’s all starting to pay off," MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said.