When I asked Currie if he found any correlation between fare evasion and people’s perception of the transit system, he said his research group theorized that would be the case. Apparently, it's illegal to sell food inside train stations. Tonight as I was leaving Broadway Junction, I saw three or four police officers (one of them was either a plainclothes cop or someone who worked at the station) gathered around a crying woman and her churro cart. According to Philadelphia news outlet Billy Penn, only 13 people have been charged with the harshest penalty - a total ban from the transit system - since the city decriminalized the offense in January. and Philadelphia, as examples of places that have passed measures to decriminalize fare evasion in the past year. “So riders’ immediate reaction to the authorities calling them criminals is to feel that the system is incompetent.” (The Public Transport Research Group favors policies that don’t punish riders caught in their first attempt of fare beating.)Īctivists have pointed to other cities in the US, such as Washington D.C. “But according to the law, even if you do it once, you’re committing a crime,” Currie continued. This one-time fare evasion could be due to a variety of circumstances: The ticketing booth wasn’t working, a rider left their Metrocard at home, or the emergency exit door was left open, which provides for a quick entry. “This is a big share of the population,” he said. The group’s findings, explained to me by Graham Currie, a professor of public transportation at Monash University, examine how common fare evasion is among the general public and the intentions of re-offending evaders, who are a small but significant population in transit systems worldwide.Ĭurrie’s research evaluated rider behavior in Melbourne, but his team also conducted follow-up research in ten cities around the world, including New York, to determine the public’s perception of transit systems with high fare evasion rates.Ĭurrie told me that in New York City, about 40 percent of transit riders evade a fare once a year, intentional or not. While fare evasion has been studied by data scientists and engineers, few have looked into the psychological aspects that drive this action - a form of “consumer misbehavior,” according to researchers from the Public Transport Research Group in Australia. It’s an endemic issue for transit systems around the world, and current tactics used by authorities to reduce fare beating are far from perfect.Īccording to transit experts, we - the transit board, public officials, and regular citizens - might be simplifying the motives behind fare dodging: Why do people hop a turnstile or sneak through a gate in the first place? And what is it, exactly, that we’re trying to fix here? Fare evasion is more common than you might think. But according to The Appeal, those with an open warrant or a history of similar offenses could still be arrested if caught fare evading.įare evasion doesn’t just occur in New York. Currently, people who don’t pay the fare are expected to pay a $100 fine, and the MTA said police will not be focused on making arrests. Some activists have called for fare evasion to be decriminalized, which means offenders will have to pay a fine instead of facing arrest or jail time. The MTA has not responded to a call for comment at the time of publication. Those who are fined or arrested for fare evasion in New York are disproportionately black or Hispanic, according to MTA data of arrests. But officials’ fixation on reducing this offense are misaligned, activist groups say, especially when these policies are likely to affect low-income riders and communities of color. (The MTA also has a history of overstating its performance, according to Jalopnik reporter Aaron Gordon.)Īccording to the MTA’s estimates, the system will lose about $300 million from fare evasion this year, from both train and bus fares. Within the past two years, the system’s on-time performance has fluctuated from terrible ( 58 percent on-time in January 2018) to satisfactory ( 84 percent in August 2019), but breakdowns, unexpected delays, and service changes still frequently occur. The online outrage has largely stemmed from riders’ dissatisfaction with the transit system’s efficiency and accessibility that, in their opinion, has not improved much, combined with anger over the perceived treatment of marginalized riders. Are me? they’re installing cameras in front of every single turnstyle at the fulton stop in manhattan right now /6QbirJSVSg- Rosemary Donahue November 1, 2019
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