Subway riders in New York City are still finding ways to enter without paying, despite the city’s expensive new gates designed to deter fare evasion.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been testing these wide-aisle fare gates that have high-tech sensors at some transit hubs in the city.
Even without turnstiles to jump, it didn’t take long for fare evaders to come up with tricks to beat paying.
One drawback of the sensor gates is that riders can “piggyback,” or cram in behind the person in front of them, to get through a gate without paying a fare, WNBC-TV reported, adding that some of its reporters witnessed the acts in person.
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Another simple way to beat the system was posted on TikTok and replicated by reporters digging into the issue at the New York Post.
This trick sees the individual simply lean over the gate and cover the exit sensor with a hand, which allows the gate to open without paying a fare.
The Post reporters found that the gates remained open for about five seconds, potentially allowing multiple people through at a time.
The new defense against fare-beaters cost about $700,000 to install, according to the outlet.
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Fare evaders cost the MTA $690 million in 2022, a 38% increase from $500 million the previous year, WNBC reported, citing the findings of a special panel.
Even with the expensive new array unveiled last month at the Sutphin-Archer station in Jamaica, Queens, Quemuel Arroyo, the MTA’s chief accessibility officer, told the station last week that the MTA is still looking for the right gate to eliminate the opportunity for fare evasion.
“We are learning. And I’m learning with our customers,” Arroyo said.