New LIRR ticket policies are off track

Even if officials have the best of intentions, the Long Island Rail Road’s recent ticketing changes have caused unnecessary confusion and inconvenience for riders and deserve reconsideration.

The LIRR has severely shortened the validity window for many tickets, while making refunds far more difficult to obtain. And riders who don’t buy and activate their tickets before boarding could be charged an additional $8 fee.

The goal — ending fare evasion — is a good one. LIRR officials say they’re trying to prevent riders from gaming the system, for instance, by not buying or activating tickets in the hopes that a conductor doesn’t come through the train.

But at a time when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is trying to encourage public transit ridership, it’s unhelpful to penalize the rider. And making it harder to buy tickets and ride the train doesn’t seem like an appropriate solution to an issue that primarily comes down to the ability of conductors to do their jobs quickly and efficiently.

For seniors, disabled riders, families and others who may find it more challenging to buy or activate tickets, or for those who have parents or adult children purchase tickets for them, this just adds another layer of complexity — without much upside.

LIRR officials say they saw significant improvements in the number of paying riders last year, as more than 97% of fares were collected in 2025, but they argue the latest changes could add to that success. They note that already, the number of riders who activate tickets late has fallen and that complaints will wane as people get used to change. And conductors are unsurprisingly thrilled with the new policies.

Despite the railroad’s claims, riders have valid concerns — and LIRR officials should consider tweaking the policies. That can start with widening the refund policy, which currently prohibits refunds on the new “Day Pass” and allows one-way tickets to be refunded up to only two minutes after the purchase.

That’s absurd.

Beyond that, the LIRR should rethink the limited expiration windows and validity periods, and institute thoughtful exceptions to activation penalties. Often, it’s helpful for riders — especially seniors or others with special needs — to purchase tickets in advance. They shouldn’t be forced to wait. Loosened policies overall, especially for seniors, reduced fare ticket holders, and families, for whom just getting to the platform and onto the train is headache enough, could help.

Meanwhile, the LIRR should closely monitor the unintended consequences of its ticketing rules and communicate clearly with riders.

Making large-scale changes, like a gated system where tickets are scanned before entering the platform or train, may be difficult, if not fiscally impossible right now. However, the LIRR should examine other commuter rail systems’ best practices to determine if there are better ways to give riders flexibility and convenience, while maintaining the pressure to pay. There’s no reason why a fare evasion crackdown should add difficulties for riders who aren’t part of the problem.