On Tuesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will be pre-qualifying fare gate vendors for New York City’s subway system.
Hochul said MTA is looking to modernize its legacy fair arrays and strategically deploy new fare gates that better align with the agency’s goals of fare compliance and preventing fare evasion while enhancing the accessibility of people with disabilities and people with strollers. MTA issues a Request for Information as the first phase of that multi-step procurement process, the governor’s office said.
“The safety of all New Yorkers is my top priority,” Hochul said. “These new fare gates will improve the safety and accessibility of the Subway system, while ensuring riders have an easier time entering and exiting stations.”
MTA estimates it lost $285 million in revenue due to subway fare evasion in 2022. As part of its Blue-Ribbon Panel report on fare evasion, a recommendation was made to modernize fare gates. In November, the authority replaced the fare array at Sutphin Boulevard-Archer Avenue-JFK Airport station with more secure and accessible fare gates. That installation followed a pilot program at Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center in March 2023, and Sutphin-Archer in April.
“Reimagining the fare array is a common-sense solution to the uptick in fare evasion in the subway system. There’s a reason it was one of the best received recommendations delivered by the Blue-Ribbon Panel,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “Since the release of the Panel’s report, the MTA has taken a range of actions against fare evasion including installation of prototype wide-aisle fare gates at two stations. This RFI will help us take things to the next level, so we can make sure every person entering the system pays their share.”