MTA

New York City is ramping up efforts to curb bus fare evasion, with agents now using handheld devices to verify payments. During a Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board meeting last week, NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said that with the adoption of the tap-and-go OMNY system, the transit system’s EAGLE fare enforcers will use “onboard validation devices” that check whether customers paid using an OMNY card or cellphone. The technology has been used on Select Bus Service (SBS) routes, where 52.7 percent of riders do not pay, and the MTA now plans to expand its use to all bus routes, including local lines, where fare evasion is 48.6 percent, according to the New York Times.
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It will officially cost you 10 more cents to ride New York City subways and buses starting in January. On Tuesday, the MTA Board voted 11-0, with two abstentions, to approve fare hikes raising the base fare from $2.90 to $3. Reduced fares will go up from $1.45 to $1.50 and express bus fares from $7 to $7.25. The agency did scale back increases to its 7-day fare-capping program from $36 to $35 in response to rider feedback.
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