Fare evasion: MTA boss Lieber rules out all-door bus boarding until European model' of enforcement is activated amNewYork

"The MTA will only move towards introducing all-door boarding on city buses after it has rolled out a promised European-style approach to fare evasion enforcement aboard the vehicles, Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said on Tuesday. Lieber, while testifying during a Feb. 3 state legislative budget hearing, made clear that the MTA will not activate OMNY tap-and-pay readers in the backs of buses until after it has established its new fare validation system on them."

"The reason for the delay, he has said, is that buses are still accepting MetroCards and coin payments for the time being, which cannot be checked via the digital devices the agency plans to use to verify OMNY payments. For the past couple of months, Lieber has pitched the new system of fare enforcement on buses as European-style because it is similar to how many European countries verify riders' payments on transit."

The MTA will not activate OMNY tap-and-pay readers in the backs of city buses until a new fare validation system is implemented. Buses currently accept MetroCards and coin payments, which cannot be verified by the digital OMNY devices planned for rear-door checks. The planned enforcement model is European-style: civilian fare agents will board buses, use handheld devices to validate payments, and issue fines to fare evaders. Full tap-and-ride validation is required before broader all-door boarding can be introduced. Transit advocates argue that all-door boarding would halve dwell times and speed service.

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