MTA tweaking turnstiles to crack down on straphangers who slip through — and cost agency $45M annually
The MTA is in the midst of fixing turnstiles to prevent would-be fare jumpers from easily slipping past the gates — costing the transit agency more than $45 million a year.
The fare evasion technique, known as “back cocking,” happens when the arm is pulled back on a turnstile and the person slips through the gate
“We’ve all seen it — someone pulls back on the bar just far enough to step over it when reversing to go in a forward direction,” Demetrius Crichlow, the MTA official in charge of the daily operations of the subway system said at a board meeting on Monday.
Additionally, transit officials said they are also considering installing plastic sleeves on the turnstile bars and metal fins on the sides of the fare gate stalls to make it harder for riders to lumber over.
The MTA is fixing the turnstiles in the subway stations to stop people from slipping past the gates.
To date, only 26 turnstiles have been modified but the MTA is aiming to complete 240 by September. In order to update the remaining 3,500 turnstiles across the rest of the system, it will cost roughly $2 million and take two years.
“If we can even get a portion of that back, it’ll save the company a lot of money,” Crichlow said.
The MTA plans to fix another 240 turnstiles by September and eventually the remaining 3,500 turnstiles.
The MTA is currently testing new turnstile alternatives, including a model with high plexiglass doors.
Another solution they are considering is adding plastic sleeves and metal fins to make it harder to get over.
Plans for a wider rethink of fare gates on the subway system are also underway, with additional details set to be released later this year.
The MTA demonstrated several models of fare gates that it is eyeing to potentially replace its decades-old setup that are harder to jump over and which have been used by transit systems across the country and in major cities internationally to cut down on fare beating.