Some LIRR Passengers Will Have To Show Their Tickets Prior To Boarding
In their latest effort to curb fare evasion, the MTA has announced a new pilot program which will require LIRR passengers to show their tickets to a railroad employee prior to boarding.
The pilot program, known as “gating,” began in November of 2023 for trains departing following MSG events, though recently it’s been extended to rush hour timeframes as well. Pix11 writes that it’s also already been in use at some additional stations including Mets-Willets Point and Forest Hills.
The MTA mentioned the process in a Facebook post back in March of this year, stating:
We may check your ticket before you board some trains at Penn Station. This is a pilot program to ensure everyone has a valid ticket. Our goal is to improve fare collection and discourage fare evasion. Thank you for your cooperation.
Many Facebook users took to the comments to show their disagreement with the program, with one person writing “Not helpful when the subway delays you and you are trying to catch a train that’s about to depart. Think smarter.”
Another stated, “You have created a logistical nightmare daily for paying commuters.”
LIRR officials, on the other hand, say “the operation has been orderly and does not inconvenience riders,” according to WLIW-FM. Moreover, Newsday writes that LIRR president Robert Free said that “he could see [gating] become a permanent practice and in place every weekday.”
Free added, “We felt this was the best way to combat fare evasion, and this is the path we took to address that.”
The purpose of gating is to prevent fare evaders from waiting until they see a conductor to activate their e-ticket–or from boarding the train without a ticket altogether. Back in May of 2023 the MTA stated that fare evasion had reached “crisis levels,” with the MTA losing an estimated $690 million in unpaid fares and tolls in 2022.
The MTA has attempted to curb fare evasion in a number of ways, including using AI Software to track fare evaders, delaying the opening of subway emergency exits, tweaking turnstiles and unveiling brand new turnstile prototypes, and keeping bus rear doors closed.
LIRR is currently gathering and analyzing data during the program’s pilot stage.
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