© Richard B. Levine
NY: Subway riding in New York
NEW YORK (77WABC) — Escalating instances of fare evasion have been rampant throughout the MTA.
Officials estimate the agency will lose roughly $500 million in 2022 due to 180 million instances of fare evasion — this as the MTA faces a $2.5 billion deficit come 2024. In April, the MTA convened a panel to crack down on fare evasions. An MTA survey released earlier this year estimated 12.5% of subway riders and 29% of bus riders don’t pay.
Before the pandemic, the MTA’s surveys in 2019 found about 4% of subway riders and 25% of bus riders skipped their fares. Ridership overall is down about 35% from then.
