We already knew that subway fare evasion citations were way down, but it looks like cops aren't much harder on buses. A whopping 6.7 million people skip paying bus fare every year, according to the Daily News, but cops arrested or summonsed just 1,826 bus fare evaders in 2009. As one member of the Straphangers Campaign put it: "You have better odds winning Lotto than you do for getting caught by the NYPD for evading the fare on a bus."
Most people tend to sneak in when the back doors are open, though many find it easy to walk past the driver if the bus is crowded. Factoring in Unlimited-Ride Metrocards, New York City Transit says the average cost of a bus ride is $1.20, and they lose about $8.1 million every year. This of course comes at a time when the MTA is proposing layoffs, service cuts, raised fares and no free student Metrocards because of a budget deficit. What's worse is that bus drivers are instructed not to confront fare evaders because of safety concerns, but rather keep track of them with a counter and let them ride for free.
Luckily, not all bus drivers are listening. In fact, our bus driver this morning flat out yelled, "If you're going to come on through the back door, you better get up here and pay!" The evader sheepishly walked to the front of the bus and paid.
