MTA Booth Clerks No Longer Required to Count

via specialkrb's Flickr

Just as it prepares to fire hundreds of subway booth agents, the MTA has announced new high figures for turnstile-jumping and fare flouting by other means. Commuters who ride without MetroCards cost the transit system about $27 million last year, according to the Daily News, up from a previous calculation of $7 million. "The MTA's only going to make jumping the turnstile more inviting by slashing scores of clerks from subway station entrances," Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign warned, but the MTA says the big statistical jump is misleading.

The agency claims the new numbers aren't evidence of an increase in fare beating, but rather the results of a new counting system, that more accurately calculates how many commuters jump turnstiles or enter through emergency gates. Previously, clerks were supposed to count ornery riders one day each month, but didn't come close to catching all of them. A better way to do it was to plant "traffic checkers" at randomly selected turnstiles around the city. Since token booth attendants don't count the offenders and they're also "a bit rude," maybe "robot doormen" are the answer?

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By Sabrina Jaszi in News on March 16, 2010 12:57 PM

Comments [rss]

dirtydrunk

The booth workers are the most unfriendly and least helpful of all new yorkers. Most of the time they're doing their own thing and get really upset when you try to talk to them at all. They need training classes on how to act and function like human beings. Otherwise just get rid of them.

we should have the honor system like in germany and if you get caught cheating you get arrested.. end of story.

Gotham Extremist

I am gonna come out with a quick pass system, a la EzPass for the subways. I can just see the millions flowing into my pockets. Pls, dont nobody steal my idea!

machida001

The whole gate thing is a mess anyway. We have kids/stollers and getting the attention of the clerk (if there is a clerk) to open the door is a nightmare. Having to wait on a line, to simply ask to open the door, when I already have a metro-card is highy inefficient for all involved.

ANGRYGOD11

One has to be pretty stupid to jump the turnstile these days. Back in the day the odds were pretty good and the cops usually did nothing. Today you will get ARRESTED and put through the system, not just get a ticket. It's just not worth it.

theLtrain

You get a ticket and that's only if theres a cop there and he sees you. The people in the booth never notice and when they do they just yell at you to "pay your fare".

I got caught hopping by a DT at astor pl. once but he just let me go back out and pay.

hunter.blatherer

Why would you hop when you had the money? Did you need it for drugs?

imperialnetwork

You do not get arrested. You get a ticket and can appeal the fine at the Transit Adjudication Bureau at Gallatin Place in Brooklyn.

ANGRYGOD11

Yes, the transit cops can arrest anyone who jumps a turnstile and check them for warrants. Standard policy since the Guliani days as a sizable percentage of jumpers had outstanding warrants. Without ID you can end up in the stationhouse or worse.

Alex

I saw someone jump a turnstile this morning and it got me thinking: if my metrocard has some kind of error or something and I can't swipe it I'm definitely gonna just jump the turnstile to get to the train. Fuck trying to trakc someone down.

crabbapple

"Commuters who ride without MetroCards cost the transit system about $27 million last year"

But fines against those who are caught, including the many paying customers holding valid unlimited metro cards who are lured through the tied-open gates expressly to generate revenue, surely totaled much more than $27 million.

Wza

Bingo!

Eugene

I'm loving the brazen insinuation neatly nested in the headline.

Gotham Extremist

I mean if these are the hard working booth clerks that they are talking about cutting...... PLEASE GO RIGHT AHEAD! HERE'S A MACHETE!!!!