As MTA laments fare evasion, the turnstiles are wide open at JFK Airport

Plus: Get ready for the G train shutdown [On The Way - from WNYC and Gothamist]( Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( As MTA laments fare evasion, the turnstiles are wide open at JFK Airport By [Stephen Nessen]( Top MTA officials are ringing their hands over fare evasion, mulling new strategies to make sure people pay for public transit. But over at JFK Airport, the Port Authority has a different approach: leaving some gates to the AirTrain wide open for fare beaters. The AirTrain at JFK costs $8.50 and is operated by the Port Authority – not the MTA. Nevertheless, it uses fare payment systems to enter or exit that are familiar to subway riders: a MetroCard or a tap on the OMNY readers. But the OMNY system isn’t fully integrated with the Port Authority’s turnstiles. As a result, the gates with OMNY readers at the Howard Beach and Jamaica stations are perpetually open, leading to a fare evasion bonanza. The absurd situation highlights the obstacles public transit agencies face trying to get commuters to pay the fare. While MTA Chair Janno Lieber [bemoans the “existential threat” of fare evasion]( many travelers headed to or from the AirTrain don’t even realize they’ve failed to pay. “I thought we paid when we got in the subway?” British tourist Harry Schaffer, 30, said, after he walked through the open turnstile gates to the AirTrain. “Or is this separate?” he asked, before catching an AirTrain to make his flight to Mexico. He was one of nearly a dozen people that Gothamist witnessed passing through several open OMNY gates without paying on a recent afternoon at the Howard Beach station. The MTA expects to lose $800 million this year to fare evasion. About 13% of subway riders don’t pay the fare – a number that’s doubled since the pandemic. The MTA plans to stem the tide of turnstile hoppers and people passing through exit gates by hiring hundreds more private security guards to hover around exit gates, working with the NYPD to ticket fare evaders, and adjusting the turnstiles to make it more difficult to evade. But the transfer from the subway system to the AirTrain at JFK highlights a problem that those plans don’t address: commuter confusion. [travelers passing through AirTrain turnstiles] Stephen Nessen/Gothamist For many visitors, it's hard to understand why they need to pay for the subway, and then pay more for the AirTrain, especially when there are virtually no signs once they exit the A train at Howard Beach and are greeted by three of the five turnstiles with wide open gates. And while MTA Chair Lieber has signaled fighting fare evasion is one of his top priorities, the Port Authority is in denial about it — literally. The Port Authority reports nearly 100% of its customers pay the fare — even after being told Gothamist observed numerous people walk through the gates without paying. In a statement, Port spokesperson Cheryl Ann Albiez described the open gates as “temporary, creative interim OMNY solution” while the tap and go technology is integrated into the Port Authority’s system. "Our number one goal is to provide a quality customer experience,” Albiez wrote in an email. During the visit to the Howard Beach station last week, one Port Authority worker wearing a red vest politely reminded people to pay the AirTrain fare. But, when that employee got distracted helping a visitor figure out the MetroCard vending machine — a remarkably frequent occurrence — people walked right through the turnstiles. Port Authority officials said three workers and police officers are posted at the Howard Beach and Jamaica stations at the busiest times. Mac Ahmed, who has worked at a kiosk at the Howard Beach station selling snacks, drinks and MetroCards for two years, has a front row seat to the fare evasion. He said it began after [the OMNY readers were installed last year](. People just started walking through the open gates, without paying. “All the time,” Ahmed, 28, said. “They do it every day.” JFK is in the midst of a $19 billion construction project that is expected to create heavy traffic for people arriving at the airport by car. Port Authority leaders have said they’re considering [waiving the AirTrain fee]( to get people to take public transit to the airport, but for now the $8.50 fee — on top of the $2.90 subway fare — remains in place. “It's unfair. We gotta pay twice,” Jacinta Ramos, 47, of Queens, said after walking through the AirTrain turnstile without paying, headed for the subway. “You know, that's a lot of money. It's supposed to be public transportation. But this — it's expensive.” The Port Authority reports the current turnstiles will be replaced with ones that are integrated with OMNY — and can open and close — by the end of the year. What New York is reading this week - Gov. Kathy Hochul signaled this week that she's likely to keep National Guard soldiers on bag-check duty in subway stations this summer. [Read more](. - Several elected officials are holding a town hall in Greenpoint tonight to go over this summer’s G train shutdown, what the MTA is planning to fix and how commuters can still get around. [Read more](. - In eastern Queens, some residents and elected officials are opposing a pending expansion of New York City's e-scooter sharing program into the area, claiming the scooters are unsafe and don’t have proper places to be stored. [Read more](. - The Queens-bound side of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Brooklyn Heights will be fully closed this weekend for repairs. [Read more](. - The Federal Transit Administration is granting $156.5 million to the MTA and $83.3 million to NJ Transit to make accessibility upgrades at stations. [Read more](. - A trio of peregrine falcon chicks have hatched and joined their mother in a “specially built nesting box” on top of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. [Read more](. - The board of the Massachusetts Port Authority voted unanimously yesterday to make Richard Davey, the current president of New York City Transit, their agency's new CEO. ([The City]( - On the agony and ecstasy of New York City’s e-bike moment: “We want to be accommodating to the convenience of technology and modern life,” said Meera Joshi, New York’s deputy mayor for operations, “but there’s no question we need to cut down on the Frogger feeling on our streets.” ([The New York Times]( Curious commuter “Why are there so few bus lanes?” - Lauren in Brooklyn Answer: In 2019 the City Council passed an ambitious plan to make the city better for pedestrians, cyclists, and bus riders. It was called the Streets Master Plan, and was supposed to require the city to complete a certain number of projects each year, including 20 miles of new bus lanes in 2022, and 30 miles each year after through 2026. The plan noted busways or bus lanes are relatively easy to install and extremely effective in keeping buses moving by ensuring other vehicles are out of the way. “Busways do not require a tremendous investment of physical resources to deliver meaningful travel benefits,” the [Streets Master Plan](chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/ noted. The Department of Transportation has made similar points in the last year. And yet, Mayor Eric Adams has been dragging his feet when it comes to installing bus lanes. In his first two years, he only oversaw 23.2 miles of “new and improved bus lanes.” For his part, Adams believes he’s done an "[amazing job]( Have a question for us? [Use this form]( to submit yours and we may answer it in a future newsletter! Curious Commuter questions are exclusive for On The Way newsletter subscribers. Did a friend forward this to you? [Sign up for free here]( to start asking your questions. Reminders + service notes - Friday night through early Monday morning: - Uptown 1 trains will skip Franklin St, Canal St, Houston St, Christopher St, 18 St, 23 St and 28 St. Downtown 1 trains will skips 137 St-City College, 125 St, 116 St-Columbia University, Cathedral Pkwy (110 St) and 103 St. - 2 trains won't run between Franklin Av and Flatbush Av-Brooklyn College. - Uptown 6 trains will skip 51 St, 68 St, 77 St, 96 St, 103 St, 110 St and 116 St. - In Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, uptown D trains will skip 155 St, 161 St-Yankee Stadium, 167 St, 170 St, 174-175 Sts and 182-183 Sts. - L trains won't run between Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs and 8 Av. This week in NYC transit history [commuters waiting to enter a subway station in 1965] Betmann/Getty Images A precursor to the MTA is born On June 1, 1965, state lawmakers voted to create the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority, which took over the financially struggling Long Island Railroad from the Pennsylvania Railroad for $65 million. The Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority would eventually become what we know now as the MTA. [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [YouTube]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.