NYC fare evasion surges, nearly half fail to pay

Each weekday, nearly one million New York City bus riders, roughly half of all riders, skip paying their bus fare. The skipped fares are starting to add up for the state's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is facing severe financial pressure.

This long-running problem, one of the worst in any major city worldwide, has only worsened since the pandemic. Before COVID-19, only about 20% of riders skipped paying the fare, DNyuz reported.

Officials, however, have devoted most fare-enforcement attention to the city's subways, which has seen police and private security deployed to stem fare evasion.

The cost of fare evasion is starting to pile up. MTA reported a loss of $315 million in bus fares and $285 million in subway fares in 2022, according to a 2023 MTA report.

Transit experts say some riders skip the bus fare out of necessity because they lack the means to pay. The standard fare for subway and bus riders is $2.90 per trip. Others reportedly find bus fare evasion easier than subway fare evasion.

Transit officials in the city have difficulty balancing rule enforcement against driver safety and low-income commuter needs. Andy Byford, a former city transit leader, drew swift condemnation in 2019 for suggesting putting "cops on buses."

For years, MTA has used unarmed "eagle teams" to patrol buses and provide tickets to riders who fail to pay. The agency last year expanded the routes eagle teams cover.