MTA needs to stop losing millions from fare beaters: Pol

A city councilwoman and an MTA board member are calling for a crackdown on bus fare beaters they sayare stripping the cash-strapped MTA of precious dollars.

City Council Member Debi Rose and MTA board member Allen Cappelli want undercover cops to ride city buses and arrest people that don't pay the $2.25 fare. A similar program is under way on Staten Island as an informal poll by the Staten Island Advance showed that nearly 20% of riders don't pay when they get on a bus. Rose and Cappelli said the officers would also keep bus passengers and drivers safer, and help combat increasing thefts of pricey electronics.

"It's not just a Staten Island problem, it's a problem that plagues us throughout the city," said Cappelli. "The cumulative consequence of the crime is that tens of millions of dollars -- if not a hundred millions dollars or more -- in revenue, is missing from the MTA, which has precipitated a cut in services."

"If we had that additional revenue, then many of those cuts may not have taken place," he added of massive service cuts made in 2010, including the elimination of two subway lines and dozens of bus routes.

"If we had that additional revenue, then many of those cuts may not have taken place," he added of massive service cuts made in 2010, including the elimination of two subway lines and dozens of bus routes.

The MTA would not comment Tuesday on how much agency has lost from people beating fares, but a spokesman had previously told amNewYork that the agency "estimated a loss of about $31 million due to fare evasion," including in both subways and buses, in 2010 alone.

MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg said the agency is looking at the effectiveness of the program on Staten Island.

"We'll work with the district attorneys and NYPD to examine the potential to expand that enforcement citywide," he said.

An NYPD spokeswoman would not comment on the proposal yesterday.

Rose, who is pushing for in increase police presence on buses throughout the city, said reducing the number of deadbeat riders will help the agency fill its coffers. The MTA has $32 billion in long-term debt.

"With the loss of revenue, the MTA has decided to raise the fares and the tolls with a resulting decrease in services," Rose (D-Staten Island) told amNewYork Tuesday. "I don't know if it would be enough for them to restore services, but it might be enough to hold off on increasing fares."

Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign said an increased police presence "sends a really important signal that paying your fare is expected."

The Transport Workers Union backed the idea, saying it would be cost-effective for the MTA and keep its members safe.

"Fare beating disputes cause the majority of assaults on our bus operators, and it is a growing problem in the subways with the removal of so many Station Agents from the token booths," said TWU spokesman Jim Gannon. "A solution is simple: More plain clothes cops on the buses, and a return of the station agents. The added cost would pay for itself."