MA: MBTA fare program looks to capture bandits who evade payment: ‘Much more to do’

The MBTA is warning passengers to think twice about boarding without paying.

The Bay State transportation agency is set to deploy fare engagement representatives to issue formal warnings and citations to riders who have not tapped at a fare gate or farebox, starting next month.

Riders who attempt to evade payment will be required to pay a $50 fine on each of their first three citations, with the penalty increasing up to $100 on further violations, according to agency officials.

This comes as the MBTA had been staring down a $700 million budget shortfall this fiscal year. The state’s Fair Share Amendment, bringing in $535 million in extra funding for the T, has partially saved that deficit.

Agency officials are pointing to how fare collection increased by up to 35% at stations where fare engagement specialists answered rider questions about payment, starting last October.

The employees wear blue shirts, khaki pants and hats. They also have MBTA identification and access to Google Translate.

“Our riders deserve a safe and reliable mass transportation system that is available for them when they need it,” MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said in a statement. “With strong support, we are making significant progress, but to sustain it, we owe it to our riders and the public at large to do our part and collect all appropriate fare revenue. It’s about a responsibility we have and fairness for all.”

“As we continue to improve service frequency across all modes,” he added, “we have much more to do, and we rely on each rider to pay their fare and support continued service improvements.”

Riders can pay for fare through CharlieCards, credit cards, smartphones, smart watches and valid passes.

In the future, program representatives will board buses and trolleys on the Green and Mattapan Lines to verify and educate riders on fare payment.

Transit officials estimated in 2021 that the agency typically lost between $25 million and $30 million from fare evasion alone every year. That figure came before the Green Line expanded, with stations lacking turnstiles and gates.

While the program is set to go into effect on Sept. 8, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley are pushing for fare-free public transportation nationwide.

The Bay State congressional delegates recently reintroduced the Freedom to Move Act, a proposal to provide municipalities nationwide with grants to cover the funding lost by not charging passengers for transport.

The bill would provide $25 billion over five years, with Markey and Pressley pointing to the success that some programs have had in Massachusetts, including a boost in ridership. However, a fare-free program in Kansas City, the first of its kind in a major U.S. city, ended for most riders just this week as the transit system there faced steep budget shortfalls.

Eng pushed back on a think tank report that showed MBTA costs up year over year, noting that the bus and rail operator has completed four decades of maintenance in a matter of months.

“If you really think back to what we inherited — which you don’t need me to validate, you can ask the public — the service was not what was needed,” the GM told the Herald last month. “It was a lot of safety concerns, there were slow trips, long trips, and unreliable service for the public.”