MTA cracking down on bus fare evaders; violations could lead to summonses, arrests
NEW YORK (WABC) -- There's a new warning for MTA bus riders who avoid paying the fare.
Mayor Eric Adams said if you don't pay, you'll start getting a summons.
Adams told a radio show Wednesday morning that the city is putting an initiative in place to crack down on MTA fare beaters.
"We are now putting in place an initiative where we are going to crack down on this," Adams said on 94.7 FM The Block radio Wednesday morning.
Riders began receiving notifications on Tuesday that fare inspectors will soon be enforcing payment.
The notifications read, "If you don't pay your fare, you may be asked to exit the bus and may receive a summons."
The MTA says 48% of bus riders are not paying, more than double than just before COVID in January 2020.
These days, 14% of subway riders aren't paying, up from only 4% back then.
"What folks don't realize is that when you have that large number of people not paying the fare, then it increases the fare for those who are," Adams said.
Adams said the initiative, which does not have a start date, will be to "send the right message that you will pay your fare on the bus, you will pay your fare on the subway, because it is not fair to those New Yorkers who are doing it."
It comes after the MTA last month noted fare evasion is to blame for $900 million in projected budget deficits in the next four years. Add that to the billions it's missing out on with congestion pricing still paused.
"We let people get out of the habit of paying for buses during COVID," said MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber.
Before COVID, Jackie Rodriguez remembers seeing MTA enforcement on the buses making sure those who didn't pay, didn't ride.
"They would see you get on the bus and they would get on and take you right off," said Rodriguez, an MTA bus rider.
NYPD officers and MTA enforcement agents are mapping out areas where bus riders are least likely to pay the fare for possible enforcement.
MTA employees, assigned to the EAGLE fare enforcement unit, would spot riders who do not pay the fare. The unarmed officers would escort the fare beaters off the bus at stops staffed by NYPD officers for further enforcement.
The officers could issue summons ranging from $50 to $100. In some cases, they could make an arrest.
In its post, the MTA reminded riders that there are senior and low-income discounts, and fare caps at $34 a week if you use the same device.
Commuter Anthony Beasley suggested even more breaks and incentives, since everything is more expensive than before COVID.
"Maybe give us like four, five days free out of the week, maybe like every other week, it can help us be able to have a living and our dollar could stretch," he said.
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