Friday Funny: Who's Neglecting Transit Payments Now?

Fare evasion: the illegal behavior of not paying for the use of a public transit system, of varying criminality depending on the jurisdiction and the levels of enforcement from police forces.

In the United States, transportation systems in Philadelphia, Portland, and Washington, D.C. have decriminalized fare evasion, while others, like in the San Francisco Bay Area, have turned to more draconian measures to curb the behavior. Researchers and advocates suggest there might be better ways to approach fare evasion.

Systematic neglect of public transit is both cultural and political, however, and the fake news website The Onion has focused on the role of New York politicians in failing to overcome political ambition to maintain the city's infrastructure. Last week, The Onion took on Mayor Bill de Blasio, campaigning for president while the city flooded. This week, it's Governor Andrew Cuomo. The totally fake, satirical article is actually just a headline—"Police Apprehend Man For Repeatedly Failing To Pay For Subway"—followed by a photo of the governor.  

To be fair, sometimes New York's transportation problems result from spending too much on transit.