NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – When it comes to fare evasion, subway turnstile-hopping often gets the lion’s share of attention, but fare-dodging is especially rampant on city buses, with 48% of riders not paying.
The stunning figure—which amounts to nearly 1 million riders evading bus fares daily—comes from the MTA, which is facing a projected $900 million combined deficit in 2027 and 2028.
The number of fare-beaters is also more than double what it was in 2018, when 18% of bus riders skipped the fare, according to MTA data.
The MTA reported losses of $315 million to bus fare evasion in 2022, while $285 million was lost to subway fare evasion that year. Most fares are currently $2.90.
Some of the increase has been attributed to the pandemic—the MTA made buses free for a period in 2020, increasing perceptions that bus fares are optional or inconsequential.
Danny Pearlstein, a spokesperson for the Riders Alliance, said enforcing bus fare payment is difficult given the complexity of the bus system, with its constant stops and frequent delays.
“Collecting the fare costs money, and so anyone who says, ‘well the MTA should just collect all the fares they’re owed, and they’ll have the money they need,’ is missing out on the fact if that takes money, that takes people, that takes wages, that takes technology,” Pearlstein said.
Amid the years-long debate about how to curb fare evasion, some lawmakers continue to push for making public transit a free, tax-funded service, like public education and emergency services.
Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who has pushed for free bus routes in the city, told the New York Times, “This is not the way it has to be.”
Mamdani suggests making buses free and having the city and state reimburse the MTA for about $800 million a year, which he told CBS New York is "just pennies" in city and state budgets that collectively amount to over $300 billion.
John Davis contributed to this report.