The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 26th (local time) that buses in New York City have the highest rate of free rides among large cities around the world.
Half of the 2 million passengers on buses in New York City get free rides during the week. As a result, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York is under severe budget pressure.
The worst free rides in the world are getting worse. Before the pandemic, the ratio of free rides on buses was about 1 in 5.
New York City officials have focused more on reducing free rides on the subway than on buses. But during the first quarter of this year, the ratio of free rides on the subway stood at 14 percent, compared with 48 percent for buses. Subway passengers account for about twice as many as buses.
With more free rides, MTAs are under severe financial pressure. In 2022, bus free rides cost $315 million, while subway free rides cost $285 million.
It is argued that the reason why there are so many free rides among bus passengers is that the fare is too high. The subway and bus fares are $2.9 per ride. It is also pointed out that unlike the subway, buses are easy to get on without paying a fee. The low bus routes and severe traffic congestion make buses slow and not a reliable means of transportation, which is another reason for the high rate of free rides. Another reason for the increase in free rides is that the number of free rides has not been charged for several months in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Even before the pandemic, bus free rides were severe. In 2018, the ratio of free rides on buses in New York was 18%, compared to 11% in Paris, 5% in Toronto, and 1.5% in London, where free rides are fined $1,000 if caught.
New York City cannot actively take part in solving the problem of free rides due to the safety of bus drivers and the guarantee of movement of low-income families. In 2019, when the plan to deploy police officers on buses was announced, fierce opposition arose. Accordingly, the MTA is attempting to collect fees by putting unarmed guards on only some routes.
The bus driver’s union recommends its members not to blame free-riding passengers on the grounds that the driver is at high risk of being attacked. In 2008, a driver was stabbed to death in Brooklyn while asking a free-riding teenager to pay a fare.
Free bus rides are politically sensitive as well. Passengers who pay fares are angry at people who neglect free rides. However, advocacy groups for the weak oppose the idea, saying that stricter fare collection will make it difficult for the poor and vulnerable to move around, citing the high ratio of elderly and poor bus passengers among bus passengers.
Progressive groups argue that the MTA should not charge for operating bus routes with taxes like schools and police. In 2017, the prosecution office in Manhattan, New York, ordered the prosecution not to prosecute free-riding passengers.
However, it is estimated that the deficit of MTA due to free rides will continue to increase significantly, reaching about $1 billion by 2028. Pre-pandemic MTAs covered 42% of the total budget by collecting fees.
In June, the MTA lost $15 billion in revenue when the New York State government banned New York City from imposing congestion taxes. As a result, if the fare collection is not increased, it will be difficult to repair the subway that has been over 100 years old.
In the end, the only way is to strengthen the collection, but it is a very difficult task. “The toll collector does not have the authority to arrest and is not protected when attacked,” said Graham Curie, an Australian Monashian professor who studied the psychology of free rides. “The risk is especially high in New York.”
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
