People walking through automated gates at the 61st Street subway station in Queens. Photo by Barbara Russo Lennon
March 10, 2025 By Barbara Russo-Lennon
A Woodside subway station has become the latest hotspot for fare evasion as the MTA continues to battle the revenue-losing scourge throughout the city’s transit system.
During amNewYork Metro’s visit to the 61st Street subway station on the 7 line in Woodside on March 8, a reporter observed 10 people evading the fare within just 15 minutes at the station, which also serves as a Long Island Rail Road stop.
The fare beaters used various methods to avoid paying the $2.90 train ride.
Two women smooshed themselves together to fit in the turnstile using one OMNY tap; one crawled under the turnstile; three people waited for the automated gates to open and snuck in; and on separate occasions, five men used the classic turnstile jump to get out of paying for their rides.
None of the fare-beaters seemed to care who was watching their malfeasances, save for one young adult who looked both ways before clumsily jumping over the turnstile.
Fare evasion is a major problem for the MTA, and officials have said it costs the agency up to $800 million yearly in foregone revenue.
Janno Lieber, the MTA’s chair and CEO, recently rode the trains with amNewYork Metro where he discussed fare evasion.
Lieber explained that people looking for a free ride continue to find a way, from stationing cops at the turnstiles to redesigning them.
Though the agency reports a recent drop in fare evasion, officials also plan to redesign turnstiles throughout the system.
“Ultimately, what we’re going to have to do is change the turnstiles so we have these more modern turnstiles that really block people and don’t let them in,” Lieber told amNew York Metro. ”We’re pushing back. We’re going to keep going, and then we’re going to change all the turnstiles and make them a lot less porous because right now the system is too porous.”
The MTA has made progress through a multi-faceted approach to crack down on fare evasion throughout the city. They have installed additions on turnstiles that make it harder for fare evaders to penetrate and also stationed unarmed security guards at gates to deter the crime.
Despite the many people who continue to beat the fare system, the MTA reported last month that illegal activity on the subways decreased 26% from June 2024 to December of the same year—which could be due to the MTA’s efforts and the presence of additional officers in the subway system.
A person completes his jump over a turnstile at the 61st Street station in Queens. Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon
Why is fare evasion so rampant?
Fare evasion in NYC has proliferated since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the problem has dramatically increased after former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who preceded Alvin Bragg, said his office would no longer be prosecuting fare evasion, leading other DAs to do the same.
MTA officials have said fare evasion costs up to $700 million each year in foregone revenue.
John McCarthy, the agency’s chief of policy and external relations, explained that in addition to station infrastructure changes, more needs to be done outside of the MTA’s control, mostly concerning policy changes.
“The key thing is that we need enforcement and prosecution,” McCarthy said. “You can have enforcement, but you also need consequences for the enforcement. That’s one of the things we are working on.”
NYS: Investing in modern fare gates in NYC Transit
Additionally, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced during her State of the State address on Jan. 14 that she will accelerate the MTA’s efforts by investing in modern fare gates to be installed in more than 20 stations in 2025, as well as an additional 20 stations next year.
As for the busy, fare-beater-laden Woodside station, MTA officials said they would thoroughly investigate the situation.
“We’ll certainly take a look specifically at 61st Street-Woodside and work with the station agents and NYPD,” McCarthy said.
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