In an effort to eliminate fare evasion, the MTA is soliciting ideas for the “next generation” of New York City’s subway turnstiles.
On Tuesday the agency to call Experienced companies are being asked to submit designs that can replace gates and turnstiles at 472 metro stations in the city.
The bid comes as the MTA says subway fare evasion has reached “crisis levels” and the transit agency suffered $285 million in lost revenue last year alone. The company said it was looking for a design that would deter fare evaders while still being accessible to people with disabilities and people using strollers.
“While there is no one comprehensive solution, the new design reduces missed payments for riders while also making it easier for customers to access the system,” said New York City Transit Authority President Richard Davey. You can.”
This year’s MTA is experimented Various techniques are used to prevent people from riding the subway for free. Commuters may have noticed difficult-to-jump high turnstiles and new modern gates on their way to JFK Airport.
Replacing all of the city’s subway entrances is a massive project. The MTA said the request for information is just the first step in a “multi-step procurement process” to modernize the turnstiles.
As a stopgap measure, the MTA has retrofitted each of the city’s 3,479 subway turnstiles to prevent passengers from performing a maneuver known as “backcocking,” in which fare evaders lower the turnstile’s bar just a little. The ability to jump down is disabled. To date, 777 ticket gates have been renovated.
The MTA replaced all emergency exit gate locks this year after discovering gate locks. Circulating for sale on Craigslist. The MTA has identified emergency exit gates at subway stations as a major source of fare evasion.
The agency also Currently in trial operation Extra wide turnstiles at Sutphin Boulevard, Archer Avenue, JFK Airport, and Atlantic Terminal stations. This gate allows people in wheelchairs, strollers, and luggage to use the exit gate without having to open it.
Demetrius Crichlow, New York City Transit Authority’s senior vice president for subways, said his team has spent a year considering various design changes to turnstiles “to combat people entering the system without paying.” He said he spent .
He added, “The lessons learned from that pilot will refine the design and specifications needed for our system.”
In May, the MTA released a report estimating that overall fare evasion cost the agency $690 million last year. The agency said about $285 million of those losses were due to fare evasion on subways, and officials said turnstile backcocks alone cost the agency $45.6 million. .
Commuter rail toll violations cost $44 million, and drivers evading authorities’ tolls cost $46 million, according to the report. The report said $315 million was drained from the agency’s coffers last year due to bus fare evasion.
This year, the city added more police officers to its subway system, which has seen a spike in tickets and arrests for fare evasion. Gothamist reported last week that the NYPD’s overtime pay for temporary subway police officers will increase from $4 million in 2022 to $155 million this year, and fare evasion arrests will increase by 210%. did.
A planned schedule for renovations to the turnstiles and turnstiles has not been disclosed at this time. In May, MTA Chairman Jano Lieber told Gothamist that it reminded him of when they grew up together. wooden turnstileHe said it would “take some time” to replace all generations of ticket gates.
Responses to the MTA’s request for design ideas are expected by the end of February.
