MTA making it harder to ‘back-cock,’ evade fare at subway turnstiles
NEW YORK (PIX11) – In an effort to reduce fare evasion, the MTA is modifying subway turnstiles to make them harder to shimmy through and jump over.
The MTA has made changes to 1,400 turnstiles at more than 100 stations to help prevent “back-cocking” — the fare evasion method of pulling back a turnstile and sneaking through.
“We’ve made design changes to the turnstile that stop the gear from turning fully, preventing people from shimmying through, also known as back-cocking,” said Chantel Cabrera, the senior director of subways coordination and solutions at the MTA.
The modified turnstiles have seen an 80% reduction in back-cocking, according to the MTA. By the end of 2024, the MTA plans to have 60% of turnstiles modified to prevent back-cocking.
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The MTA is also making changes to turnstiles to make them harder to jump over.
“We’ve also installed vertical metal fins on the cabinets of the turnstiles to deter our most athletic evaders from jumping over,” Cabrera said.
The turnstile fins have been installed at four pilot stations. Turnstile jumping decreased by more than 20% at the four stations, according to the MTA. Turnstile fins will be installed at 10 more stations in the upcoming months, officials said.
The MTA on Wednesday outlined a slew of initiatives it has implemented in the past year to help cut down on fare evasion in the subway.
Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than five years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.
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