Recently, I was getting onto a crowded Q25 bus, nearing the afternoon with my secured goods of instant boba kits, along with the rush of people trying to get home at Main Street’s second to last stop. I made my way on and luckily got seats for my mom and myself.  Then, I saw a man in his twenties opening the back door by touching the yellow line, allowing four people to get onto the insanely crowded bus. I was genuinely surprised because until now I had never seen someone help others evade their fares on the bus, only in the subway.

If you’ve ever used a NYC subway train or bus you’ve probably seen someone not pay their fare, too, whether it be them jumping over the turnstile or just walking onto the bus without paying. You may not care so much about people not paying the fares, until you find out how it affects all of us.

In 2022, the MTA lost a total of about 600 million dollars from riders not paying the fares on subways and buses, 315 million of which was from fare evasion on buses. That’s money that could have been used to maintain and upgrade the 100-plus-year-old subway system and modernize the fleet of buses that together bring 4.6 million people to where they want to go throughout the five boroughs.

Six hundred million dollars could mean there would be more buses, so shorter wait times. It could also mean cleaner and updated buses and trains. This would be good for everyone and probably increase the number of people who use public transportation, which would bring in even more money, so there could be even more upgrades.

If that doesn’t convince you, think about how fare evasion is detrimental to the workers who drive the MTA transportation vehicles and other MTA workers. Their paycheck comes from fare revenue and other sources. If people didn’t evade paying the fares, they would have more money in their paychecks. Workers spend their nights maintaining the subway so in the morning riders can go on their daily commute to wherever their destination is; it could be work, school or even using it to go see family and friends. They deserve higher pay.

And if you’re still not convinced, think about climate change and NYC’s air quality. We help the climate by using public transportation because unlike taking an Uber or taxi, which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, an electrically powered train and electric buses don’t. With the money lost from fare evasion, the MTA could be doing even more to help the climate, like getting more electric buses, sooner. And we’ll be breathing in cleaner air.

I know there is no one single solution that’s a fix-all when it comes to trying to solve the problem of fare evasion, but there are some steps that can be taken. I propose the idea of implementing more technologically advanced and efficient solutions to stop people from physically entering the subway without paying such as advanced turnstiles. If there’s no money to do that, then bring back “the iron maiden” because it’s cheap and its design decreases fare evasion.

Look, it kind of disappoints me when I see people jumping the turnstiles. But at the same time, I don’t get too upset because I don’t know why exactly they aren’t paying. I also think they are unknowingly damaging the public transportation system, not that they mean to. And I understand some people can’t afford to pay the fare, but that’s why the MTA has launched a “Fair Fare” program. But those who can pay, should. Then, the hundreds of millions of dollars lost due to fare evasion each year can be used to make the buses and subways better for everyone.