Image of a metro card machine taken by Steven
Originally published in Washington Square News on October 29, 2024 (written by Steven Wang)
One month ago, a man failed to pay his subway fare and when police officers followed him into the train car, he pulled a knife and was shot at. The man was injured, along with one police officer and three citizens. The release of this New York City Police Department body camera fueled public frustration about issues of fare evasion that exist in the first place. The tragic event reveals a flawed policy that penalizes commuters rather than addressing the underlying cost-of-living crisis in New York City. Focusing on retribution for small infractions born out of poverty instead of addressing the rising cost of living is not the way forward.
Earlier this year, NYPD officials announced the deployment of hundreds of NYPD officers to the subway system in an effort to curb fare evasion — arguing that this approach would cut crime and boost public safety. Rather than increasing safety, however, these policies have heightened tensions and increased distrust in law enforcement, as well as created risks for commuters.
New York City’s bus system has also seen an increase in fare enforcement measures. New York City Mayor Eric Adams justified this heightened police presence as essential for public safety by claiming that putting pressure on fare evasion would contribute to a general decrease in subway crime. However, recent studies have shown no statistically significant correlation between fare evasion enforcement and overall arrests for other crimes. All that the increased police presence has managed to do is criminalize poverty, targeting vulnerable populations without any meaningful improvements to safety.
Treating fare evasion as a person-centered issue rather than a system-centered one ignores the financial strain many New Yorkers face. One in five New Yorkers struggle to afford subway and bus fares, and transportation costs are a significant stressor for over half of Americans. A more effective solution is the Fair Fares program, which offers eligible city residents a 50% discount on transit costs. However, only around 33% of eligible individuals are enrolled in the Fair Fares program, leaving many without the support they need. Additionally, those whose incomes exceed the eligibility cutoff, including minimum-wage workers, do not qualify. Although the Fair Fares program is going in the right direction, we should continue to invest resources to expand enrollment and reach for Fair Fares, rather than have the city continue to criminalize those in poverty.
According to an analysis of NYPD fare evasion data, the impact of these policies fall hardest on low-income communities and communities of color. People of color account for 82% of people ticketed for fare evasion and 92% of those arrested.
In line with proposals from four of New York City’s borough presidents, we should urge an expansion of Fair Fares eligibility to 200% of the federal poverty level — up from the 120% threshold. This change would render an additional 650,000 adults eligible, at an estimated cost of $55 million, which is a third of the $151 million spent on police overtime for MTA officers in 2023.
To maximize its impact, eligibility for Fair Fares should be tied to the True Cost of Living measure, which the city is planning on implementing. This standard quantifies the level of income necessary to sustain the needs of a working-age family in New York City, subdivided by location and family type. This expansion of eligibility should be accompanied by a public awareness campaign to ensure that those eligible know about and can access the program. Additionally, rather than imposing fines, eligible individuals caught riding without paying should be offered assistance to enroll in Fair Fares. As long advocated by the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, this shift would promote a trauma-informed, compassionate approach over one rooted in punishment.
the federal poverty line says a single adult making $15K isn’t poor in NYC. Meanwhile, you can barely survive on twice that.
subways has always been a big struggle for me because every time I pay 3 dollars for the fare, it stacks up
I agree. I go to college in the city and I commute and a round trip is 6 dollars and after a week that’s 30 dollars. College doesn’t give us metro card so that’s unfortunate
every station has so many police officers and I feel like whenever I pay my fare, I would feel like they’re staring down my back
also the fact that 92% of fare evasion arrests are people of color just proves that this is less about safety and more about criminalizing poverty.
For the fair fare program, they haven’t responded to me even though I am eligible
same, it takes so long for it to process
minimum-wage workers DO NOT QUALIFY?????????? THAT MAKES NO SENSE, WHAT
It really doesn’t because those who are making minimum wages are struggling already
Low income black families are the most impacted because black families are mostly low income. this completely breaks my heart
This idea will fuel racism so it’s really sad. We need to do something about this
So tragic.
Thank you for this informative article. The MTA really needs to charge us less
right and they’re going to keep on increasing the price. It’s going to be like 3.5 soon
One in five new Yorkers struggle to pay?? No wonder why everyone jumps the fare because it’s TOO expensive
If people are skipping fares, it’s because they literally don’t have the money.
well, that’s not always the case because some people who have the money won’t want to pay… I guess it is due to it being expensive
How was 3 innocent citizens hurt?? That’s wild
hundreds of NYPD officers sounds like overkill
I watch how some people don’t even care if there are police officers and sometime police officers won’t even care if people jump
yes! there are many instagram reels about it and like people don’t care
Expanding Fair Fares to 200% of the federal poverty level is the bare minimum. People who are just barely above that line still can’t afford the cost of living here.
And yet, despite the obvious need, only 33% of eligible people are even enrolled in Fair Fares.
this shows that more people need to be aware about this program
I think the MTA should also try to promote the fair fare by putting it in subway and buses
they will lose a lot of profit from ad and they have it on their website so I think it’s up to us to spread the word around
$151 million in police overtime just to catch fare evaders???? That money could be spent to fund transit for people who needs them…
That number is absurd. I feel like there are better ways to spend that much money
Currently it looks like Expression Engine is the best blogging platform available right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using on your blog?
No, I’ve never heard of Expression Engine. I’m not sure what blogging platform you’re asking about
What do we do for people who genuinely can’t afford it and they’re not eligible for fair fare because apparently not even minimum wage workers can get it. Now imagine those workers have family to take care of
I’ve heard stories of people missing work because they can’t afford the subway
Also, the fair fare is only one year. People don’t get out of poverty after one year usually. They have to keep making money and saving up to just be able to afford a small apartment
One year is crazy and blasphemy considering how so many people aren’t even eligible for it