MTA invests $1.1 billion in ‘nearly-impossible’-to-evade fare gates

In the agency’s first turnstile redesign since the 1990s, the Metropolitan Transit Authority announced on Oct. 7 it would invest $1.1 billion in modern fare gates that have sliding doors instead of the traditional rotating arms. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the new technology would preserve $100 million in fares per year that passengers would otherwise never pay.

The MTA installed the new technology at 20 stations over the last year to test its effectiveness. On average, the new gates reduced fare evasion by 35% — two stations saw a 72% drop. The new gates have tall double doors and cutting-edge sensors, making them “nearly impossible” to crawl under or jump over, Hochul said. 

“The MTA said the new gates will roll out to 20 more stations by the end of the year, and will eventually expand to cover 150 of the city’s busiest stations,” Ramsey Khalifeh writes for Gothamist.