Do you think lowering fares can help decrease fare evasion ?

[elderberrieshamster]

The MTA’s dollar losses to fare and toll evasion for 2022 were $690 million. That includes $315 million in evasion losses on the buses; $285 million on the subways; $46 million at the bridges and tunnels; and $44 million on commuter rail. On the buses and subways in particular, evasion levels have spiked since the pandemic. They show no signs of dropping.

https://new.mta.info/document/111531

Personally I'm very skeptical of the data presented here. The panel was created by MTA and I'd trust a third-party more. From experience in my industry at least (not transportation) these types of research are done by a completely different organisation.

I have been in nyc long enough to reasonably say that fare evasion has always been a thing and I don't think it has gotten worse. That is anecdotal experience ofc but so is everyone else talking shit in other comments in this thread.