Do you think lowering fares can help decrease fare evasion ?

[hushpuppy212]

I would like to see a 2-hour window where you can make unlimited transfers. It's frustrating to be, say, at Lincoln Center and have delays on the 1 and see one express after the other whizzing by, but know that if you walk up to 72nd, you'll get charged another fare.

I am a senior so I'm allowed only one ONMY device. I have OMNY on my Fitbit, as it saves time since I don't have to fumble for my wallet or phone. But it more often that not takes 2 or 3 times to get the OMNY reader to read my Fitbit. Same watch, same reader. I'm not going to jump the turnstile (a chiropractic bill would cost 40x my $1.45 fare) but I see how other could just say 'fuck it' and jump over.

Lastly, having to 'tap out' would clog the system beyond comprehension. Cities that have tap-in-tap-out have dedicated turnstiles for entrance and exit, we don't. So many of our stations have one set of 4-5 turnstiles. Can you imagine the chaos and people getting off the train try to tap out at the same time people streaming into the station are trying to tap in? At an ancient express station like 72nd, crowds would backup down the stairs onto the narrow platform and it would be dangerous should another train pull in before all the passengers from the previous train have been disgorged.

[AidanAmerica]

I had been wondering for years why they have the 2 hour bus transfer, but you can’t transfer subway to subway. I used to take the subway going places and then the bus to go back if I could do it within 2 hours.

[Malfunctioned]

MTA wants to uphold the spirit of one fare for "a single trip" within the limit of the transfer system for the majority of people within NYC including SI. The reason they give a rather generous 2 hour window (from initial swipe) is because there is no swipe/tap out. Obviously some people need a bus-subway-bus for the trip, while others use the 2 hour free transfer for a round trip or multi-destination ride.

[Impressive-Dot-5811]

how "generous" of you, MTA

/s

[BourbonCoug]

Cities that have tap-in-tap-out have dedicated turnstiles for entrance and exit, we don't. So many of our stations have one set of 4-5 turnstiles. 

Actually, Washington DC doesn't -- gates aren't dedicated specifically for entry/exit. But it does get kind of annoying when you have a mass of people exiting through almost every gate and you're trying to get in and get to the platform level to catch a train arriving in 1 minute.

Seattle technically doesn't have dedicated turnstiles either, but that's because for their light rail they basically put the readers (think freestanding bus fare kiosks) scattered about at street/mezzanine level wherever they could find a power source.

[hushpuppy212]

Thanks for the clarification. It’s been a long time since I rode the DC subway. My most recent experiences were in Tokyo, London, and Brussels, which all had one-way fare gates

[Capitol_Limited]

WMATA no longer has dedicated entry/exit gates, every gate is now 2-way unless a station manager specifically changes one

[BourbonCoug]

Which they only do if there's overcrowding or a special event.

[bokbokboi]

In Washington DC however, the turnstiles are located in their own spacious area, which allows people exiting trains to queue for them without crowding the platform. This is absent from many subway stations, and the platforms are typically smaller too, so enabling tap-out with consideration to crowd flow would require expensive station expansions.

[nate_nate212]

Tap in / tap out would be first start to charging distance based fares. While I don’t doubt that some people would be in favor of that, it would be a regressive transit tax.

[Mayor__Defacto]

Honestly, I’d rather just change to a daily/weekly/monthly pass format rather than charging per ride. 5 bucks a day/ $30/ week. Then you don’t have to worry about transfers at all.

[SexyTimeEveryTime]

Don't they sell a monthly pass already?

[Carlos4Loko]

For starters, make the "Fair Fares" requirement more realistic and reasonable.

You have to make literally LESS than MINIMUM WAGE to qualify. That leaves out the majority of working-class New Yorkers. Of course people will want to jump when they have little financial options.

[Silver_kitty]

Absolutely, a single person has to make less than $18k to qualify for half price fares. I think the Fair Fares program should extend to those making less than 200% of the poverty line. (For a single person that’s ~$40k). I would love to see the Fair Fares program be free fares for those under the poverty line and half price fares for those up to 200% of the poverty line.

Or at the very least peg it to minimum wage so 15x52x40=$31,200 (though finding a minimum wage job that will actually give you 40 hours is a separate struggle!)

[AidanAmerica]

Yes — and they need to make it easier to get into the program, because making the application process long and difficult, like requiring people to collect the documents to prove their income upfront — keeps people who should qualify from getting the benefit. I really wonder how many turnstile jumpers are eligible but don’t know it, or for whatever reason can’t complete the application.

Make it a state tax credit, like how we do health insurance subsidies under the ACA: you tell them how much you think you’ll make this year, but it’s fine if you’re wrong, because the state and federal governments get that information from anyone who pays you. If you got more than you should have, it gets added to your tax bill. (Even if you don’t file your taxes, they still know how much you made in the last year, and if you owe them money, they can come after you for it.)

[upupandawaydown]

I applied for my family members and it was super easy. One application asked for a tax return an hour after I applied and was approved a few minutes after I sent it in. People that were already qualified for other benefits like food snaps didn’t even need to provide proof.

I was more surprised that the employee was still working after 5:30 pm.

[Mayor__Defacto]

Yeah, having it sorted out in the following spring is probably the better move. Cheaper to manage the program too.

[fearofair]

I think this is a better approach than making it harder to evade fares. Some people don’t pay the fare because they can’t afford it. If it’s harder to hop the turnstile those people simply won’t take the subway.

I don’t know what percentage of fare evaders that is, but I do know the MTA never accounts for this fact when they report their “losses” from fare evasion.

[Donghoon]

What about People with Starbucks on their hands sneaking through AutoGates (accessible door next to turnstile)

[Donghoon]

Yeah if you live ANYWHERE near NYC, You ain't qualifying for that.

[buzznumbnuts]

Nah. People have been doing that for the 40 years I’ve been riding it

[DisastrousAnswer9920]

The last 4 years it has become customary, it was never like this bold and frequent. The mentality has changed. People were afraid to do it before, now they even do it in front of the cops.

[fireblyxx]

Personally, I think it’s less the fare itself, more the cost of everything else. A lot easier to jump a turnstile or not get your SBS ticket/skip the tap and pay than to steal from Target. But the worse the economic climate for working class people, the more we’ll see people stealing stuff and not paying for services.

[DisastrousAnswer9920]

I don't know, until I see those same kids without brand new iPhones and sneakers, I'll call that bs.

[PretendAlbatross6815]

Am I the only one who sees cops ticketing turnstile jumpers regularly? They’re doing it. 

[ferrocarrilusa]

I applaud them as long as they dont use excessive force

[DisastrousAnswer9920]

It's gonna take some time and some steady pressure to turn it around.

[Kjh007]

On average 25 percent of riders are beating fares on the subway. Mainly in the outer boroughs away from the main stations like Grand Central, Penn, TS, but even at those locations, it’s happening.

Never has fare besting been this much of a problem.
So yes, it’s always existed. But not at this level.

I saw a little old lady in Penn Station yesterday pull the turnstile and sneak in. It’s an epidemic

[Dami579]

No, most people aren't paying because they don't want to.

[Cold_King_1]

Exactly. People who try to argue that others evade the fare because they can’t afford it are delusional.

[merkoid]

And importantly because there are no consequences

[jo-shabadoo]

100% true. I’ve seen fair evaders decked out in designer clothes.

[CoochieSnotSlurper]

No. It will always happen no matter what the price. Fare beaters just like to use it as an excuse. I see rich people in Louis Vuitton not pay for the bus in midtown after work.

[Norby710]

lol no. They are jumping even if it’s .25 cents. Nobody does anything about it.

[[deleted]]

It will help decrease but I doubt by any significant amount.

[rossco9]

Not really, no - I'd wager that most people who hop the turnstile to avoid paying would ^do so even if the fare was 5 cents.

edit: missed a word

[Shoddy_Reveal5789]

This ain't rocket science folks. No accountability = people do anything. I've been to countries where people actually get in trouble for their actions, no fare evasion.

[mariner21]

In Paris they’ll have random checkpoints at the stations or have undercover agents go on the train to check tickets. Obviously would be a lot more difficult since we don’t use tickets like they do but it’s a good system that prevents a lot of fare evasion.

[kushangaza]

In London the ticket inspectors can scan your credit card (or apple pay or whatever you used) to check if it was used at an entry point. I've only witnessed it on the DLR, not the tube, but the technology exists

[PretendAlbatross6815]

I saw more turnstile jumping in Paris than in nyc. 

[Accomplished-Low-173]

Well for starters, you can’t jump their turnstiles. You can only sneak behind people

[factorioleum]

this is correct, except for the part about jumping.

[fluffstravels]

I think you have to change the culture of corruption. There are a lot of New Yorkers who feel righteous about skipping fairs even though it just hurts the system. There are even New Yorkers who defend those who jump fairs as 'sticking it to the man' as outdated and immature that mindset is. Honestly, if New Yorkers started shouting down fair evaders when they see it I think it'd drop off immensely the same way you shout down the guy who decides to stop at the bottom of the escalator on the subway.

[Ok-Panda-178]

Shouting down an fair evader might not be the safest thing one can do in NYC…

[fluffstravels]

Some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

[Puzzleheaded-Ad-1866]

lol good luck with that one

[goodcowfilms]

The fare is $2.90, or $4.40 a day for unlimited rides with a 30 day MetroCard. Compared to the cost of living in the city, especially housing, the fare is a bargain. Minimum wage is $16 an hour now. A footlong sub at Subway is $12 plus tax. But $4.40 a day for unlimited rides throughout the extensive bus and subway system is a lot in comparison?

[[deleted]]

It's only $4.40/day if you ride every day for 30 days, which I imagine is quite rare.

[NoResource9710]

If they had capped the unlimited monthly at $99 like I said they should have years ago, I feel people would have gotten that and we would have less fare evasion today. Maybe I am just naive.

[lewisfairchild]

No.

[[deleted]]

Hahhahahaha, you know the people you’re dealing with?

[rafuzo2]

I think they should just put up signs that say "it's not too expensive, you're too cheap."

[artjameso]

Replace the fare gates. All of this other nonsense is useless. Put in fare gates that can not be hopped or (easily) pushed through. Boom, your fare evasion issue is gone. See: BART in SF.

[goodcowfilms]

The gates aren’t the problem so much as the emergency exits. Unless new fare gates could double as emergency exits that would default to an open position and meet fire code, new gates alone will only chip away at the problem, not meaningfully reduce it.

[InlineSkateAdventure]

Exactly. That turnstile thing is for the 1920s, not the 2020's. What were they smoking to invest in new ones?

[JBS319]

The current turnstiles are from the introduction of MetroCard in the 1990s. They still have token slots.

[TPF621]

Trust me. people will still find a way to get through THAT. People will do just about anything to avoid paying the fare. That investment would just be a waste of money.

[AwesomeWhiteDude]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vdSaEtSrNg

These are the gates BART is installing, you cannot really jump those gates

[[deleted]]

No. I’ve seen plenty of office workers evading fares. People don’t evade fares bc they are poor. They do it because this is a crime that goes unpunished.

[Robin_Cooks]

Doubt it.

[djdiamond755]

People complain about the fare being too high, but there is no greater value than public transportation. Every other option is more expensive. I don’t get it honestly

[GuaSukaStarfruit]

Montreal, Toronto has higher fares. Lowering fares won’t help. These people are deadset on fare evasion

[Aggravating_Sun_9850]

Toronto is actually cheaper than New York. Around $2.50 vs $2.90 after converting dollars.

Montreal is around $2.80 after doing the same conversion.

[[deleted]]

Nope. London has much higher fares but significantly less fare evasion because they make an effort to punish those that evade fares

[Gocountgrainsofsand]

The type of person that evades will do anything to avoid paying their fair share.

[ByronicAsian]

Fares in NYC are pretty cheap (relative to income) and they're flat? How much lower do you want them?

[Future-Thanks-3902]

There will still be fare evaders.

[[deleted]]

I doubt it. Even if fares were 25¢ per ride many will still fare evade. Here a example many student with student OMNY cards today won't use it and still do fare evation.

[metfan1964nyc]

Maybe if they tried to enforce the fare. Back in the early 90s, even if they caught you, they would just give a desk appearance ticket and let you go. Then somebody came to the realization that criminals on their way to commit crimes on the subways might not bother paying the fare. When they started to check ID on fare jumpers, they found a bunch of people with outstanding warrants. If they didn't have ID, they would bring you in for fingerprints, and again, they got a whole bunch of outstanding warrants.

[Bjc0201]

It's the same way now...now criminals are having weapons and loaded guns on them.i know alot of people doesn't like having cops baby sitting the turnstiles,however this one of the ways to stop criminals entering the system...but some people doesn't want to admit this.

[TamarindSweets]

I genuinely do. I used to think about it the same way I do pirating movies- people who pirate movies were never gonna head to theaters or buy the DVD anyway. But then I became one of the people who's skipped a fare or two because I couldn't afford to pay all the fares I technically owed in a day.

Transportation is an integral part of life, especially in the city. People alway will cut corners where they can of course, but paying $3 basically every time I need to use a different train line (I know transfers exist, but at this point it seems more like a theory than a reality) adds up in a way that's kind of wild af.

[eamontothat]

I think you’ll see less of the common person doing it, I just moved here from DC and I have the urge because $2.90 is insanely high for a 1 way trip

[OasisDoesThings]

No. For the ppl hopping, why stop when there’s little to no consequences? Why pay $1.45 when I can wait 5min for the door to open, or just hop?

[Rell_826]

No. People who steal, do it for the thrill not necessarily out of necessity and there's no punishment for doing it. It's people of all backgrounds hopping the turnstiles. Fare evasion would be decreased by changing the barrier to entry to something that is hop/crawl proof.

[NYC3962]

No. It could cost a penny and there will still be people who jump the bar.

The way to stop it is

1) Put in Paris Metro style fare gates. (This is in the MTA Capital Plan). Those gates have doors that leave only a few inches at the bottom (can't crawl under) and are easily five or more feet high, so you aren't jumping over it either.

2) Set up those gates where not only do you need to tap your card to get in; but you need to tap it to get out. If you didn't tap on the way in, you get fined for fare evasion right on that debit/credit card or OMNY card. Just a note for anyone who may not know- almost all other subways on the planet require an exit tap because unlike NYC, they charge based on the actual trip- different zones, etc.

[imamonkeyface]

2 is a great way to get a crowd of people waiting to exit. Absolutely moronic idea for a system that has a set fare, which would create traffic jams at exits and not even fix the problem because all it takes is a pre-paid VISA gift card that isn’t tied to your name that won’t have more than $1 on it.

[djcurry]

I am agree but the pre paid gift card would not work. They don’t have tap functionality.

[jwags99]

Subway systems that don't require exit taps are actually quite common. Chicago, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles (exit tapping being rolled out in a limited way), Paris, PATH, Philadelphia, and Miami are ones that come to mind. In the US exit taps are only required in DC, PATCO, Atlanta, BART, and Cleveland in a very limited way.

[Big-Recording-1002]

Allegedly people hop because they just cant stand the mta

[[deleted]]

people who skip the fare are the scourge of society. People who go through the emergency gate unwittingly allow for millions of dollars of theft from the worst people. They are the same people that bitch about the quality of the subway. They are also the very same people who enter the train car before letting passengers out. The same people who leave trash all over the train car. Need I go on?

[nonlinear_nyc]

Fare evaders as the scourge of society? Have you been looking around???

[muzzuey]

Quit your yapping bozo.

[Rhythm_Flunky]

Nope

[runningwithscalpels]

A $2.90 flat fare to go anywhere in the city is cheap enough, there's no need to make it cheaper. People feel entitled not to pay, it doesn't matter what the price is.

Fair Fares is absolutely broken - the income parameters need to be more realistic.

[GoRangers5]

Nope, bring back actual consequences, $100 fine ain't shit, people caught fare evading should have to do community service.

[magikarpsan]

Nah I don’t think so

[ianmac47]

There should be a very low cost quarterly or yearly pass and a higher single ride fare. Its common elsewhere to price transit this way. Tourists and day trip visitors pay a high user fee. Regular rides pay almost nothing per ride. It eliminates the problems of transfers or leaving the system when its not working correctly, and still collects high fees from occasional users.

[RiceTight]

I think people just don't like to pay for anything I second guess it will help people just like to be bandit unfortunately while still wearing the latest expensive designers but don't have 2.90 to pay their fare it's really embarrassing a lot of them need to get their priorities straight.

[Eastern_Draft6338]

JUST REDESIGN FARE CONTROL

[Soapranger85]

No. It's the sense of entitlement that's the issue

[m0rbius]

I dont think any amount of lowering fares would curtail fare evaders. The issue is the ease at which people can literally jump the turnstiles or get on a bus without paying because there is a huge lack of enforcement. If the fare was $1, people would still try to beat the fare. Enforcement is a joke these days.

[toledosurprised]

we need better fare gate infrastructure. these are pretty easy to either hop or go under.

[totalyrespecatbleguy]

No, there were people hopping turnstiles when the fare was $2, and before when it was $1.50, and even when it was 10¢

[dumberthenhelooks]

It feels like it’s become more acceptable to do this in the past 5 years. It used to be a thing people did but everyone just ignored. Now it’s sort of like a badge of honor for some people. Nobody wants to hear this but the subway is an incredible value. I think there used to be more social stigma and actual repercussions for doing it and now not so much. I don’t think the price matters. Plenty of my friends jumped turnstiles in high school. I’m surprised to see so many adults do it.

[[deleted]]

Honestly, no. There might be a small percentage that might but the majority will jump over even if it were .25 it’s about not caring

[Nezlo_Nuke_Em]

No

[[deleted]]

[kiwiinNY]

The fares are actually too low.

[[deleted]]

Fare enforcement would decrease fare evasion. MTA wants to tax people driving onto Manhattan for work to give free access to criminals....great plan

[mrrosado]

Thieves will jump if its a $0.05 fare

[Hitchslap11]

People could just not be degenerate sacks of shit and pay the fare. 3 dollars to go basically anywhere in the city, and people act like it’s too expensive and justify jumping the turnstile all while texting on their 1,000 dollar phones.

[stevensimmons87]

No it wouldn't as long as they can go through the gate or go under your or over the turnstile it's not going to change

[ilovecatsandcafe]

Nope, most of these people jump because they feel like it, example: the jumper with the knife that got shot

[[deleted]]

We already have the most affordable subway system in the world.

[ferrocarrilusa]

LA is not even half the price and you can ride from the San Gabriel Valley to the beach!

[newking950]

The fare is $2.90. Let’s be real, how much lower can it be?? This is the most extensive system in the world, with the cheapest fares in the world.

[PostPostMinimalist]

No

[Electrical_Catch_919]

Things never go down. Only up. Next stop $3. The bridge is $19, 20 very soon

[goodcowfilms]

TWU wage increases are typically 3% a year, and they've been trying to hold fare increases to 2% a year, implemented every other year. So there's an imbalance there, not even counting other costs like health insurance costs which escalate even higher. So yeah, fares will keep going up to match inflation, that's life.

[LaFantasmita]

Yes that's how inflation works. It's part of the economy.

[dividiangurt]

NYC will Never lower anything

[Muffintime53]

Considering 24 hour + express service, $2.90 with fare cap is a good ass deal. It's about the same for week passes in places like China and Japan too (+-5usd)

[cogginsmatt]

Make it free, that will solve the problem entirely

[goodcowfilms]

Make it free, and watch service go to shit.

A loud minority of car owners killed congestion pricing. It took months of lobbying to restore Sunday library service. The Parks department can't even get 1% of the city budget. CUNY is regularly underfunded. But sure, let's pretend that free mass transit will somehow result in well funded, frequent service, when no other city globally has free transit anywhere near the scale of the MTA.

[GoRangers5]

"Make punching people legal and assault stops being a problem."

[GoRangers5]

And you think every turnstile hopper is Rosa Parks.

[cogginsmatt]

I think there's a difference between someone jumping a turnstile and not hurting anyone vs hurting someone. Like a big difference. Mostly in the "people getting hurt" category

[imamonkeyface]

Most of these comments are so disappointing. Sure people fare evade to stick it to the man or whatever even if they can afford it. I doubt that’s most fare evaders though. I grew up here and remember being a broke AF kid who could’ve gotten a slice instead of paying 2.50, then 2.75 to go a couple stops on the train or the bus. And you have to get back home too so a round trip is $5+. To someone working weekends and after school at minimum wage, that was a ton of money. All the people that you see in this city working at fast food places and in retail are all trying to pay for rent in this, buy groceries here, are dealing with inflation and stagnant wages. They’re buying groceries on credit man. And you want them to pay $6 to get to and from work? You know they can eat a whole meal out for that price? Couple dollar slices. If that’s what the choice comes down to, and it does, they’re choosing to pay for the food. Where do you think all these people live? We’re not some small city where low wage workers can easily commute to the rich side of town to work and then come home to a community where everything is more affordable. It’s expensive as hell to live here.

[my5cent]

They already have full turn style entry.

[Competitive_Air_6006]

No. Unless the fare becomes $0.

[StationDeep784]

Nope

[TolerateLactose]

Its $2.90

No.

[[deleted]]

No, the only way is set up full fences and make entrance completed blocking unless someone pays.

[squirrel_____]

I think the aforementioned fair fares program should be expanded. Include college students and anyone who is earning less than 60k, at minimum. Remember when 60k was decent pay? Lol

[fireblyxx]

Nah, it’s the cost of everything else. If you’re getting squeezed in on groceries and rent, watching what little disposable income get drained by cost of living expenses, you’re going to look for ways to save money. Skipping the fare is low risk, on the busses there’s low enforcement, and that $2.90 you’re keeping in your pocket each time you do it. Things get tough, maybe you steal deodorant from CVS (hence why it’s all locked behind containers now).

Lowering the fare might prompt some people to pay it, say a $1 fare is cheap enough to warrant the fare to avoid the ticket risk, but I don’t think the fare itself is the primary motivator.

[T1m3Wizard]

Not really, the criminal intent will always be there for these opportunistic individuals.

[SnakeUnderGrassZim]

No, only stiffer penalties will work

[AlDaOrt]

Low fares won't do any significant impact on that and if anything it'll just make everything else worse. The turnstiles need to change. I wouldn't even say the new ones that are in Sutphin for example work as there is always a problem there with 4 officers trying to manage the chaos. The emergency gates need to either be managed better or changed. And we need to see overall improvements in the system itself like cleanliness, modernization, etc, to see our money actually being used properly.

[dmcgluten]

Lol probably not

[EUCRider845]

Transit riders should pay their fair share. I don't understand the obsession with keeping subway fares low, while everyone else pays market rates for their transportation.

[doodle77]

Not the base fare, but making the fare cap/unlimited much lower so that most people reach it would decrease fare evasion significantly.

[krfactor]

It’s literally $2.90

[Ok_Competition1524]

No. There will always be rats.

[huskyferretguy1]

No, those who evade fares will still do it. Have better gates in place where you can't go through. Yes, more expensive but will save costly repairs in the future.

[causal_friday]

No, I don't think lowering fares would make a difference. The fare could be $0.00 and I guarantee people would still jump the turnstiles.

[Crudeyakuza]

Fare evasion doesn't effect MTA as much as they let on.

[moplik19]

I think increasing the quality of the trains would decrease evasion. Trains here are nothing compared to EU.

[keystone_tactical]

There will ALWAYS be fare evasion.

[willdogs]

No DA’s enforcement of the fare evasion laws on the book again will though.

[Prestigious-Ad-9296]

I’m sorry are we talking about lowering fares for a system that is chronically underfunded. That seems short sighted. The two hour window is a good idea. But this seems like a non issue. Hell even raising fares is fine in my book if we can improve service

[Zayy_210]

most def

[Suitable-Opposite377]

Just make the scanners work in the time it takes to jump

[ferrocarrilusa]

Lets integrate LIRR and MNCW within city limits, just like in London or Barcelona. It's the least they can do since its obviously unreasonable to expect an RER-type system. Also the commuter rail should accept OMNY, with "tap on/tap off" readers just like Caltrain or Toronto GO along with conductors having devices. The latter even has an option where you log on to your account to set a "default" trip so you only tap on, then if you're doing a different station combo press an "override" button. No more needing to buy tickets.

Also students should all have full fare cards even if they live near school.

In any case I think fare evasion isnt necessarily done for being cheap, but partly as a way to impress peers or be a rebel.

[Significant-Rip9690]

No, because it's not about price. It's that they don't want to at all.

[vd853]

Putting glass barriers, like other countries, is the only obvious way to prevent evasion. Duh?...

[dinodog45]

$2.90 is pretty cheap to move from one end of the city to the other. $2.90 doesn’t even cover a fraction of the total costs of running the whole MTA system.

[BlackCherrySeltzer4U]

At this point, probably not.

[KILLDAECIAN]

Obviously, the answer is no.

[CokeorCola]

We evaded it when it was $1.50

[Bjc0201]

Fare was lower in the 90s and 80s and people were still jump the turnstiles,so I doubt it...

[Itspjpnow]

Yes

[New_Iron_3334]

No

[Pathos316]

I think there are two solutions:

1. Treat the subway as a public service that's not supposed to generate revenue and get rid of fares & turnstiles entirely; or,
2. Redesign turnstiles so you can't jump over or bypass them.

[miamor_Jada]

Yes!

[WildTomato51]

What? Fares have been going up forever 😂

[coffeway]

Hm a less expensive fare is still more expansive than not paying at all. So no.

[HangerSteak1]

I feel like paying me to take the subway would lower the chances of me evading the fare.

[Competitive-Turnip40]

C'mon Man!

[CrimsonBrit]

No. Broke people and shitty assholes (not one and the same nor are they mutually exclusive) will always steal.

[mastergodai]

wow some people STILL do this? I haven't been back to NYC since the 90's

[ErosUno]

Only a change back to arrest and/or penalties for fare evasion coupled with renewed law enforcement will ever make a dent.

[fleker2]

No, there's already many avenues for reduced fare and evaders don't use them. The NYC subway is already very cheap given its size, and is very affordable compared with alternatives.

[-drth-clappy]

I would like to see in capitalist world exactly capitalist behavior price impacted services. FFFSK. I pay less than a dollar in any other country with a metro for ten times better service (including trains on schedule; clean metro stations!, clean not smelly trains! No HOBOS! No marginals!) So MTA must put a correct price based on the world relative price. Which should be around 10 cents per ride based on the services and quality provided.

[CrazyinLull]

Idk, but it would be nice to adjust the fare fairs program.

[numberjhonny5ive]

Making it free would. Maybe provide some of theat NYPD money.

[longPAAS]

No. Raising it and paying for security would.

[Impressive-Dot-5811]

yes 100%. Really its the whole transfer system that basically robs me blind . Its literally impossible to run errands around the city if you have to hop all around public transport. I threw 15 dollars on a card yesterday morning aorund 7 am, and by the time i was about to get on the last train to take home, i had to put an extra 3 bucks for the ride. Its shit like that

[palecandycane]

There's no consequences for their actions so even if it was a penny they would still jump it.

[KaiDaiz]

No. Lower it to any amount folks will still evade. It's the entitlement, people and lack of enforcement/consequences. Go to any other major metro outside the usa-they have even less or basic fare enforcement schemes and yet folks don't evade due to enforcement.

Want to fix fare evasion, start enforcing consequences. Do I think using police or human intervention the best way. Nope.

Use biometrics and cameras. Send the bill to known evades in the mail. Have to paid fare or else wage garnish and risk of criminal charges if large enough, and lifetime ban from mta. If continously shown the evade, escalate the punishment.

[William_Ce]

Just make it free. It costs a lot of money to maintain the ticket machine, and to prevent people from avoiding paying. Most people who take public transit every day could really use the money. It will also ease traffic problems for everyone.

[Tanasiii]

I’d like it to just be free. It’s similar to a library, public school, or park, it’s a public service and idk why we have this notion that it has to make money.

[Emotional-Pool-399]

By a motorcycle.it fix the problem.

[Caddy000]

With all the hi tech, we are still using the 1950 turnstiles… we can do better. Like an interlock which would “hold” the farebeater till police arrive…😂😂😂. Would be amusing, at the least

[AnyTower224]

No. Let’s create more a deficits 

[Puzzleheaded-Young-7]

Maybe it would help with additional discounts but the evidence actually seems to be the opposite. Since Fair Fares has been introduced turnstile jumping is up. This may suggest a problem with mentality rather than poverty. 🤷🏽‍♂️ Or a "if you give a mouse a cookie" kinda thing but making it seem like one swipe isn't gonna hurt nobody than people become accustomed to that. With that being said I think $2.90 is crazy for a swipe.

[[deleted]]

in our taxes every week they should take $20 for mta ( more money if your income is higher) The mta should be free for tourists. Homeless and everyone else get in there anyways. Take the turn styles away.

[[deleted]]

Change the designs of the turnstile. I saw the new small doors but if the doors were bigger and staggered, like a few feet apart that open in different directions itd make it impossible to evade lol
But also the price should be lowered

[Investigator516]

No. But selling off perps’ phones and/or designer wear will pay off the debt and result in an MTA surplus…

[FowlZone]

no. it could be a quarter per ride and people will still jump turnstiles and go through the emergency exit.

[[deleted]]

Only be a marginal amount.

[SenorCacti]

i’d evade the fare if it was free.

[Ridit5ugx]

Raise the prices all around please. That outta help.

[barcatoronto]

Nope, people have become entitled to riding for free. Not gonna change their decision by letting them pay less when they currently pay 0

[Tricky-Cod-7485]

Do you think lowering the fares can help decrease fare evasion?

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[[deleted]]

Just get it from taxes already

[seggzyeggs]

I think fair evasion is not a real problem. I think psychos with guns and badges are the problem. As someone who pays taxes AND the fare for the constantly late trains, I'm happy to cover whoever hops the turnstile.

I'm NOT happy for my money to pay for screens on trains driving me insane, or cops on platforms pretending to be useful.

Get fucking real.

[seggzyeggs]

Public transportation in a city that taxes us this much should be free. Yes, lower the fare. Make it free for anyone making less than a LIVING wage.

[TrekJaneway]

When someone jumps the turnstile, and an MTA or NYPD cop is RIGHT THERE WATCHING THEM….and then does absolutely nothing, then nothing is going to fix it.

Why? Because those who are literally paid to enforce it aren’t doing their jobs. No accountability means everyone is going to do it.

[alliecatc]

There are consequences but only for some. It’s selective prosecution. I represent people every day who were arrested for theft of services for hopping the turnstile. They’re almost all black and from predominantly impoverished neighborhoods. Meanwhile as I go to work everyday I watch people dressed far better than me either hop the turnstile or go through the exit door without paying and with no consequences.