The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s fare revenue has surged by 67% since 2021, fueled by a rise in ridership and targeted efforts to combat fare evasion, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday.
Total fare revenue is projected to hit $5 billion in 2024, up $322 million from the previous year, Hochul said in a statement. The increase is credited to a series of anti-evasion strategies implemented across the city’s subways and buses.
“These numbers show that our comprehensive strategy to combat fare and toll evasion is working — and system users and taxpayers are benefitting,” said Hochul. “We will continue to use every tool available — including infrastructure upgrades and enforcement — to stop fare evasion, hold offenders accountable, and maintain this momentum.”
To address evasion, the MTA has made widespread system changes. About 90% of subway turnstiles have been modified to prevent “backcocking,” a method where riders reverse the turnstile to slip through without paying. Additionally, more than 200 stations now use gate guards, leading to a 36% reduction in fare evasion at those sites.
Stations outfitted with delayed egress gates — which slow down attempts to exit without paying — saw a 10% drop in evasion. The feature is currently active at over 70 stations and is expected to reach 150 by year’s end. Turnstile enhancements like sleeves and fins have also cut jumping by 60%.
On the bus system, the MTA’s EAGLE Team — a civilian fare inspection group backed by police — targets fare evasion hotspots during peak hours at 140 locations per week. These interventions have led to a 36% decrease in fare evasion and a 7% increase in paid boardings at those stops. Bus fare evasion overall has declined for three straight quarters.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said the agency’s two-year crackdown is starting to pay off.
“We’ve been attacking fare and toll evasion from all angles — hardening the system, simplifying payment, raising awareness about discounted fares, and stepping up enforcement,” Lieber said. “Now those efforts are yielding positive results — and they’ll only grow with the rollout of new modern fare gates.”
