NYMTA Fare Gate Pilot Cuts Fare Evasion, Improves Accessibility

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NYMTA) modern fare gates reduced fare evasion by an average of 35 percent at 20 pilot stations. One station saw a 72 percent decline in fare evasion; another saw a 65 percent decline. Other benefits include wider, touch-free access for riders using mobility devices, pushing strollers, or carrying luggage.

“These gates are more accessible and provide a better design that improves customer flow and deters fare evasion,” said NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “Better fare compliance helps secure more of the revenue we rely on to deliver faster and more reliable service.”

NYMTA said the new fare gates were evaluated based on their impact on fare evasion, accessibility, customer experience, entry and egress throughput, maintenance, integration, and data and detection accuracy.

The pilot fare gates saw approximately 29 million entries and 34 million exits with nearly half of typical daily subway riders using the new gates at least once. Performance and customer feedback were critical to determining the final system designs.

“Modernizing our fare arrays is one of the most important steps we can take to improve the daily experience for our riders,” said NYMTA Construction & Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. “The pilot phase allowed us to customize designs to fit our system.”

The results are driving a broader rollout funded through the agency’s 2025–2029 Capital Plan. The $1.1 billion program will upgrade fare-control areas at 150 stations serving nearly three-quarters of daily subway riders. The next 20 stations will receive gates across all entrances, with installation beginning by the end of 2026. Another 30 stations are expected to be under construction by the end of 2027. Together with the pilot locations, the first two phases will bring modern gates to 70 stations.

The overhaul is the subway system’s first major fare-array redesign in more than 30 years, replacing inaccessible turnstiles and wide emergency exit gates that are frequently used for fare evasion.

NYMTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo called the touch-free gates “a leap forward in making our transit system more welcoming for everyone,” particularly riders who use mobility devices and those traveling with strollers or luggage.