MTA fare evasion: $120M

Soaring fare evasion on subways and buses cost the MTA $119 million in the first three months of 2022, according to new statistics — and officials want transit workers to help them rein in the costly problem.

A memo sent to city bus drivers on Friday urged them to “politely state the fare” to passengers trying to ride without paying.

Fare-beaters account for 31.5% of all bus riders, according to figures released ahead of the MTA’s board meetings this week — up from 29.3% during the last three months of 2021.

Subway fare evasion is also on the rise, with 9.8% of riders skipping the fee at the end of 2021, up to 12.5% in the most recent survey.

Overall, the MTA says it’s lost $62 million on subways and $57 million on buses to fare-beating. That’s on track for nearly half a billion dollars in losses for the year.

The rising fare-beating rates have been accompanied by an 18.3% increase in NYPD “enforcement actions,” according to MTA documents.

MTA CEO Janno Lieber has declared war on fare evasion, promising a “blueribbon panel” would come up with ways to combat the issue.