Governor Hochul Announces MTA Solicitation for Secure, Accessible and Modern Fare Gates for the Future of the Subway System

 

Next Generation Fare Gates Aim to Improve Station Accessibility and Combat Fare Evasion

Invitation to Pre-Qualify Follows Upgrade of Entire Fare Array with Modern Fare Gates at Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport Station

View Request for Information Here

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is seeking to pre-qualify vendors of secure, accessible, and modern fare gates to be deployed in the New York City subway system. The MTA seeks to replace its legacy fare arrays and strategically deploy next generation fare gates that better align with the Authority’s goals of promoting fare compliance and preventing fare evasion, enhancing accessibility for people with disabilities and people utilizing strollers, and improving the overall customer experience. The Request for Information is the first phase of a multi-step procurement process to modernize the fare gates.

“The safety of all New Yorkers is my top priority,” Governor Hochul said. “These new fare gates will improve the safety and accessibility of the Subway system, while ensuring riders have an easier time entering and exiting stations.”

Fare evasion has reached crisis levels in the transit system, with a loss of $285 million in revenue due to subway fare evasion in 2022 alone. A key recommendation from the MTA’s Blue-Ribbon Panel report on fare evasion was modernizing fare gates in the subway. In November, the MTA replaced an entire fare array at the Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport station with more secure and accessible wide-aisle fare gates following a pilot at Atlantic Av-Barclays Center subway station in March 2023 and Sutphin-Archer in April 2023.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “Reimagining the fare array is a common-sense solution to the uptick in fare evasion in the subway system. There’s a reason it was one of the best received recommendations delivered by the Blue-Ribbon Panel. Since the release of the Panel’s report, the MTA has taken a range of actions against fare evasion including installation of prototype wide-aisle fare gates at two stations. This RFI will help us take things to the next level, so we can make sure every person entering the system pays their share.”

Other MTA Measures Taken to Deter Fare Evasion to Date

Modernizing the fare array in subway stations is just one of the many initiatives undertaken by MTA agencies since the release of the Blue-Ribbon Panel report in May 2023. Since then, MTA agencies have taken the following actions:

• Modified 777 turnstiles at 95 fare arrays in 42 stations to prevent customers from back-cocking.
• Deployed 432 unarmed gate guards and re-keyed all 1,620 emergency exit access key locks.
• Launched a pilot to delay egress on emergency exit gates to discourage opportunistic evasion.
• Piloting fins on turnstiles to deter riders from attempting to jump the turnstiles.
• Deployed NYC Transit EAGLE teams, with support from the NYPD, to local and Select Bus Service (SBS) bus stop hubs with high rates of fare evasion.
• Over the past three months, with targeted enforcement at three hubs, EAGLE teams have had over 30,000 customer contacts that include 14,240 customers assisted with fare payment, 4,017 verbal warnings and 6,670 evasion summonses.
• Collaborated with New York City on Fair Fares outreach with enhanced digital messaging and additional enrollment opportunities at Transit Talk events.
• Formed partnerships between the Metro-North Railroad and Labor members to focus on increasing conductor fare collection using on-board video technology to review and correct performance.
• Launched a pre-boarding inspection pilot program on Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North at their major Midtown hubs, Grand Central and Penn Station. Crews check tickets before customers board to discourage delayed e-tickets activation and boarding without a ticket.
• So far both railroads have held two trial runs, reaching over 7,000 customers which confirmed a significant number of customers are boarding without pre-purchased or activated e-tickets.
• The MTA Police Department has recorded a 210 percent increase in fare evasion arrests and 104 percent increase in fare evasion summonses between 2022 and 2023, thanks to enhanced train patrols and patrolling subway stations located at commuter railroad hubs.
• MTA Bridges and Tunnels has further enhanced their crackdown efforts on scofflaws with the deployment of Portable License Plate Readers, which have increased license plate reads.
• Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 15, 2023, Bridge and Tunnel officers have intercepted 2,718 vehicles – a 50 percent increase from the same time in 2022 and surpassed the total of 1,880 vehicles that were interdicted in all of 2022. Bridge and Tunnel officers have also issued 2,933 summonses for covered or obstructed license plates since the beginning of the year.
• The MTA plans to coordinate with the NYPD for enhanced toll evasion enforcement for congestion pricing.