The fare-beaters really outdid themselves in 2010. They could have just coasted after costing the MTA $8 million in 2009, but last year they went above and beyond, reportedly evading a whopping $14 million in fares. MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz tells us, "Fare evasion is an age-old problem that is expensive for the MTA and for our riders, who end up paying more when some New Yorkers choose to break the law. We will continue to work with the NYPD on cost effective strategies such as targeting high-incidence locations and placing cameras in key areas to combat this problem." more ›

The Bx12 may invite fare beating on buses, but the Elmhurst Avenue G,R,V station is apparently the easiest subway station in which to skip turnstiles. The Daily News counted one fare beater every 10 minutes one day in March, adding up to $353.25 in lost revenue. One local student said, "Whoever you ask will tell you the same thing: It's not fair. The rest of us pay. Why don't they?" Because they can get on the subway for free. more ›

Even after losing about $8 million a year from bus fare beaters, like those cheating the Bx12 honor system, the MTA has no plans to inflict harsher punishments or change the system. They're actually expanding it to First and Second Avenues in Manhattan. MTA spokesman Charles Seaton told the Daily News, "The officers are out there every day, so we're not going to do anything special. Cities all over the world have implemented rapid transit buses. It's part of speeding the buses along." That's right—scofflaw commuters in European cities have been riding without paying for years. Now it's finally our turn! more ›

Even though the MTA is losing around $8 million a year from bus fare evaders and is thus implementing drastic service cuts, people still aren't paying! Though most bus drivers are guilty of being too lenient on riders who conveniently "forgot" their MetroCards, riders on the Bx12 are guilty of abusing the experimental "honor code" ticket system. The Daily News reports, "Over the course of an hour at each stop, 40 fare-beaters boarded the bus at Fordham Plaza sans tickets; 22 did so near the Pelham Bay IRT subway stop, and 27 at the stop on Pelham Parkway at Williamsbridge Road." more ›

The chief watchdog group for the MTA released their annual report today (read it yourself below) sternly criticizing the agency on its mismanagement of several different projects. The Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee said in the report that it was "extremely disappointed" that a lawsuit between the MTA and Lockheed Security has ground plans to install anti-terror video cameras around the city to a halt. $833 million has already been invested in the plan, which is currently in limbo: "There is no definitive word on what the next step will be. The lapse in moving forward with this initiative is inexcusable," the report states. more ›

We already knew that subway fare evasion citations were way down, but it looks like cops aren't much harder on buses. A whopping 6.7 million people skip paying bus fare every year, according to the Daily News, but cops arrested or summonsed just 1,826 bus fare evaders in 2009. As one member of the Straphangers Campaign put it: "You have better odds winning Lotto than you do for getting caught by the NYPD for evading the fare on a bus." more ›

Adding to yesterday's report that fare beaters in the city's subway system have been vastly undercounted, the News wrote today that cops have gone soft on the crime. Only about 87,000 turnstile hoppers and emergency gate crashers were ticketed or arrested in 2009, the lowest number in five years. The police explain the drop, saying they're cracking down on big-time perpetrators, in lieu of handing out lots of little fines. "The department focused on the arrest of more serious offenders," said Sgt. Carlos Nieves, not explaining what constitutes a "serious offender." more ›

The Port Authority stopped a tractor-trailer when its driver made its license plate disappear on the Goethals Bridge. How? According to the Daily News, Orland Payano "had a cable running from the license plate to the dashboard cigarette lighter." When the lighter is manipulated, the front plate is tucked away. (The rear plate was "bent, partially concealing its markings.") A PA officer noticed that the plate disappeared and Payano was charged with fare evasion and license plate destruction. The driver, however, tells the News, "It's not true," and says he has EZ Pass. The fare on the Goethals is $40. more ›