
If you’ve traveled through the 42nd Street-Times Square or 59th Street-Lexington Avenue subway stations recently, you may have noticed the MTA’s latest efforts to decrease fare evasion: ‘turnstile fins.’ Similar to bird-control spikes, if you will, jagged new barriers have been installed on the turnstiles to deter fare jumpers. And as ridiculous as it may look, it actually is working—at least according to Governor Kathy Hochul’s latest announcement.
According to the Governor of New York, subway fare evasion is down 26% within the last six months. Now this isn’t solely from the new spiked turnstiles, but a combination of efforts, including strategic deployment and stronger enforcement.
“We’re turning the tide against fare evasion to help protect transit riders and taxpayers and continue strengthening our transit system,” Governor Hochul said. “Our work is far from over – and we’ll continue to crack down on fare evasion this year through strong enforcement and new measures coming to subway turnstiles and fare gates throughout the system.”
These future efforts to “crack down on fare evasion” include a reconfiguration of all subway turnstiles to prevent “backcocking” by the end of this year. Moreover, new fare gates will be constructed at 20 high-traffic stations, in addition to increased summonses coming from the NYPD if evaders are caught.

The MTA has also observed a decrease in fare evasion on NYC buses, down by 9.1% within the same six month period (June 2024 – December 2024).
All of these efforts derive from fare evasion reaching crisis levels in 2022, following the MTA’s Blue-Ribbon Panel report. That year, the MTA lost approximately $690 million from unpaid tolls and fares.
“Fare evasion undermines the very system that moves New York City and provides essential transportation for our communities. Our team has made real progress, driving down fare evasion for the first time in years. We will continue to explore all measures and means to ensure fare compliance and sustain a system that is equitable for all,” said NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow.
As of now, 10% of subway riders evade fares, down from the previous 14% prior to June 2024. The MTA and local leaders hope to see a continued decrease following the upcoming efforts and coordination with the NYPD.