Fare skip takes toll on Apple

The explosion of farebeating on New York City’s subways and buses “tears at the social fabric” of the Big Apple, while taking an evermounting toll on the cashstrapped MTA that trickles down to paying straphangers, the agency’s chief, Janno Leiber, said Tuesday.

In a sit-down with The Post’s editorial board Tuesday, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority argued the combination of boosted fare enforcement and a flood of additional patrols by NYPD officers on overtime had helped restore straphangers’ confidence in the system.

But the rampant fare evasion that started with the pandemic remains a thorn in his side and a problem that threatens to exacerbate an already $600 million deficit estimated for fiscal 2023, which could explode to $1.2 billion in ’24 and ’25 and to $1.6 billion in ’26.

“It’s not just a matter of money, although it is a huge, huge financial issue,” Lieber said. “Fare evasion tears at the social fabric as one way to put it.”

The talk came a day after Lieber pitched state lawmakers in Albany on Gov. Hochul’s rescue plan for the agency, which has seen its persistent budget deficits explode.