Rahul Somvanshi
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) lost about $1 billion to fare and toll evasion in 2024, according to a new analysis by the Citizens Budget Commission (CBC). This staggering figure is roughly triple what the MTA lost in 2019, highlighting how the problem has grown since the pandemic.
“Every minute during 2024, 330 subway fares and 710 bus fares were evaded,” the CBC report states. The transit agency is projected to lose another $900 million in 2025, though this represents a slight improvement as enforcement efforts begin to show results.
Bus fare evasion accounts for the largest portion of losses at $568 million, while subways contribute $350 million. Commuter rail tickets add at least $46 million in losses, and toll evasion costs at least $51 million more.
The CBC report frames the 2024 loss as roughly equal to “three rounds of fare increases” – a significant blow for an agency already facing an $800 million structural budget gap.
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MTA Chief Financial Officer Jai Patel has called fare evasion an “existential issue” for the transit system. With 40% of the MTA’s operating budget coming from fares and tolls, every unpaid fare directly impacts the agency’s ability to maintain service.
Some anti-evasion measures are showing promise. At stations where turnstile fins and sleeves have been installed, jumping has decreased by about 60%. Placing guards at emergency exit gates has reduced evasion by roughly 36% at those locations. Delaying emergency gates from opening for 15 seconds has reduced gate evasion by about 10% at pilot stations.
The MTA plans to expand these successful tactics while implementing new strategies. Modern fare gates will be installed at 20 stations by the end of 2025 and another 20 stations in 2026, with priority given to high-traffic locations with significant evasion problems.
Bus evasion remains particularly challenging, with about 43% of bus riders failing to pay in early 2025. The MTA is strengthening its “EAGLE Team” – civilian inspectors who check fares on bus routes –and aims to implement a proof-of-payment system on buses, potentially starting in 2026.
CBC President Andrew Rein emphasized that fare evasion “is not victimless” and “puts more of the burden on everybody else who is paying the fare.” The CBC recommends accelerating the rollout of new fare gates, expanding proof-of-payment measures, publishing regular progress data, and potentially expanding the Fair Fares NYC program for low-income riders.While recent enforcement efforts have started to bend the curve – with subway fare evasion down 26% in the second half of 2024 – the losses remain substantial and contribute significantly to the MTA’s financial challenges as it plans fare increases for 2025 and 2027.
