MTA is setting new ridership and service records, according to the report (download below). “The subway has reached its best Customer Journey Time Performance (CJTP) in subway history, at 86%; buses are traveling up to 20% faster in Manhattan since the launch of the Congestion Relief Zone program; and the commuter railroads are operating with record level on-time performance with Metro-North achieving a 99% on-time performance for March, and the Long Island Rail Road, 96%,” MTA said in its report announcement.
In an effort to bring back more riders, MTA said it has focused on adding and improving service, while investing in subway safety. In 2023—with support from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the State legislature—MTA began a series of phased service enhancements across 12 subway lines, which is now complemented by service increases on eight express bus routes that went into effect March 30, it noted; more enhancements are slated to come June 29 across 16 local bus routes.
According to MTA, with more service and more riders, major crime on the subways is down 11% this year. “This follows significant efforts to create a safer environment with more police in the system, including two officers on every train overnight, cameras in every subway car, installation of LED lighting at every station, and expanding the Subway Co-Response Outreach Teams (SCOUT) to address cases of severe mental illness in the system,” the transit agency said.
Tackling Fare Evasion
MTA has taken several steps to tackle fare evasion across subways and buses. These include turnstile modifications, installations of delayed egress on emergency exits and the deployment of gate guards. The agency noted that 90% of all turnstiles have been reconfigured to prevent backcocking—a form of fare evasion where subway riders attempt to pass through a turnstile by pulling it back just enough to squeeze through without paying—and more than 200 stations are assigned gate guards. Stations with gate guards have seen a 36% reduction in fare evasion, according to MTA.
At gates with delayed egress, MTA said there was a 10% drop in total fare evasion. Currently operational at more than 70 stations, MTA is said to be on track to expand delayed egress to 150 stations by the end of 2025. At stations where turnstile sleeves and fins have been installed, there was a 60% decline in turnstile jumping.
MTA reported that it has also stepped up EAGLE Team deployment at bus stops and times of day with the highest concentration of fare evaders. The agency’s civilian bus fare inspection team, supported by the NYPD, enforces bus fare payment at 140 locations every week. According to MTA, paid boardings were up 7% at EAGLE intervention stops, and the overall rate of bus fare evasion has fallen for three consecutive quarters.
On Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad, a new onboard invoice policy was adopted to better enforce fare payment, MTA said. “In the event that a customer does not have a valid ticket for travel, they are required to provide a valid ID to be issued an invoice,” it noted. “If an ID is not provided, the customer is advised to exit the train or police will be requested, which then results in a summons, or if a repeat offender, arrest.” Since implementation in June 2024, MTA said there have been 66% fewer invoices issued on Long Island Rail Road. For full-year 2024, there were 295% more issuances of summonses and 140% more arrests on the railroad than the previous year. On Metro-North, there have been 31% fewer invoices since the new policy went into effect and 162% more summonses were issued for 2024, along with 50% more arrests, MTA reported.
Gating—or pre-boarding ticket inspections—on the commuter railroads is now a permanent program, according to MTA. “Key findings from the pilot program reveal that the program is well received by passengers with overall positive feedback and improvements in customer behavior, with a majority of riders having their tickets out and ready to show to a crewmember,” MTA said. “Metro-North implements gating programs mainly for special events, and LIRR is now performing daily weekday ticket checks at Penn Station.”
MTA also reported that it is making it easier than ever for riders to pay their fare. Tap-and-go, for instance, is available to all subway and bus riders, including students, Fair Fares riders, and Reduced-Fare customers.” And 93% of customers use the agency’s TrainTime app to look up schedules and/or purchase tickets, resulting in 71% of all railroad revenue coming from tickets purchased in the app, MTA said.
Fare, Toll Revenue on the Rise
As a result of increased ridership and efforts to combat fare evasion, fare revenue is up 67% compared with 2021, according to MTA, which noted that 40% of its operating budget comes from fare and tolls. Total fare revenue reached $5 billion in 2024, an increase of $322 million over 2023.
Toll revenue recovery has increased 44% since 2021, according to MTA. “These results were greatly assisted by last year’s launch of the largest city-state interagency task force focused on removing cars with fraudulent, obscured, or altered license plates, and persistent toll violators, as well as a legislative package on toll enforcement signed into law by Gov. Hochul in last year’s enacted budget,” the transit agency said. “Since the launch of the task force in March 2024, law enforcement agencies have collectively issued more than 45,000 summonses, towed over 4,400 vehicles and made 1,025 arrests.”
Looking Ahead
MTA said it continues to advocate for stronger consequences for transit crimes, and with the support of the NYPD, public safety. The MTA’s first-ever Criminal Justice Advocate is working with District Attorneys to prosecute theft of service, which is critical for effective fare collection enforcement, and other transit crimes, it noted.
Building on the foundation MTA has set to tackle fare evasion, the agency said it will continue progress through:
- “Piloting a proof of payment system on buses in 2026. This concept will be made possible by the full transition to the tap-and-go payment system, which is slated for the end of the year.
- “Refreshed railroad ticketing policies.
- “Completing physical turnstile modifications. By the summer of 2025, all turnstiles will be reconfigured to prevent backcocking.”
MTA reported shortlisting Conduent, Cubic, Scheidt & Bachmann, and STraffic as potential vendors to provide modern fare gates for the subway system. This fall, it is slated to start testing gates in select stations.
Each of the vendors’ systems will be installed at five locations, for a total of 20 stations including:
- Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr
- 14 St-Union Square
- 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal
- Delancey St-Essex St
- Nostrand Av
- Crown Heights-Utica Av
- Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av
- Forest Hills-71 Av
“For the past two years, we’ve been attacking fare and toll evasion from all angles—hardening the system against fare beaters, simplifying fare payment, raising awareness about discounted fares and, yes, doing more enforcement,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “Now those efforts are yielding positive results that will grow even more with the new modern fare gates that are coming.”
“The strategies to improve fare collection are working,” added MTA New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “We are glad to see these efforts begin to pay off and expect to see further improvement as we expand on these initiatives and work with NYPD to keep up enforcement.”
“Between the new onboard invoice policy and the preboarding validation programs, the LIRR is seeing tremendous improvements in fare collection—customers are also seeing and appreciating our efforts to combat fare evasion,” MTA Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free said. “The new policy requires individuals to provide a valid ID in order to be issued an invoice, which could not be possible without the incredible support from the MTAPD, whose greater presence on trains have also had a positive impact on customers’ feelings of safety.”
“Train crews have done great work enforcing fare payment on Metro-North,” MTA Metro-North Railroad President Justin Vonashek noted. “With the new onboard invoice policy and support from the MTAPD, the tone around fare compliance has been reinforced—emphasizing the requirement of a valid ticket to ride. And with more signage reminding customers to purchase and activate tickets before boarding, customers are building a better habit of boarding with a fare.”
Commented MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Catherine Sheridan: “Toll revenue is a significant source of financial support for mass transit and the interagency task force launched last year has amplified our toll collection efforts—and continues to grow, now including the Westchester and Nassau County police departments. This unprecedented coordination has resulted in region-wide success and sends a clear message to motorists who try to evade the tolls—don’t risk losing your car, just pay the toll.”
