Governor Kathy Hochul has unveiled a new strategy in response to fare beating on the New York City bus and subway system.
© Anne-Marie Caruso / NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK + © Robert Deutsch, USAT via Imagn Content Services, LLC
(New York, NY) – Governor Hochul is looking to change how cops respond to turnstile jumping in New York City. As fare beaters cost the transit system millions of dollars each year, Hochul has put forth a new idea: first forgiveness, then a fine. Under her proposal, the NYPD would let first time offenders get off with just a warning. A second offense would fine the turnstile jumper $100, with half of that going toward a tap-and-go payment card.
There would be a more harsh penalty for chronic offenders. If someone’s caught turnstile jumping five times, they get arrested. The MTA says people riding buses and entering the subway system without paying leads to $690 million per year in lost revenue. Meanwhile, the NYPD arrested just 4,400 people for fare beating last year.
