MTA Expands New Fare Gates After Initial Pilot Program Shows Reduction in Fare Evasion
The transit authority plans to install the glass barriers at 20 additional subway stations, citing a 35% decrease in fare evasion and an estimated $100 million in annual savings.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is moving forward with a wider rollout of its new glass fare gates, planning to install them at 20 more subway stations across New York City. This expansion follows a pilot program where the gates reportedly reduced fare evasion by an average of 35% and are projected to save the agency $100 million annually.
Governor Kathy Hochul stated at a press conference that the new gates have improved the rider experience and made it more difficult for individuals to bypass payment. The MTA loses an estimated $350 million each year due to fare evasion.
The expansion will replace all turnstiles at the selected stations, a departure from the pilot program which had replaced only a portion of turnstiles at the initial 20 locations. Among the stations slated for the new gates are high-traffic hubs such as 14th Street-Union Square, Bedford Avenue, 161st Street-Yankee Stadium, and Flushing-Main Street. These locations had previously participated in the pilot program and will now see all their turnstiles upgraded.
The MTA's projections come after a period of scrutiny regarding the gates' effectiveness and the significant investment of $1.1 billion to overhaul station entries at 150 locations. In March, questions were raised about the data supporting the fare evasion reduction claims, with one report indicating the figures were based on only one week of data. At that time, MTA head Janno Lieber declined to specify the projected revenue recovery from the gates.
Early in the pilot program, videos circulated on social media appearing to show commuters easily bypassing the new gates. Incidents included individuals crawling under the barriers and one instance at the Broadway-Lafayette station where a person reportedly circumvented the gates using a cane.
Safety concerns also emerged following an incident where a 5-year-old child got her head caught between the panels and required hospitalization. Despite these challenges, the MTA plans to install 50 more gates by the end of the year, with the ultimate goal of fitting all 472 of its stations with the new fare barriers.