Staff Reports
New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has decided that they need to invest a cool million bucks into understanding what goes on in the minds of fare evaders. That’s right; the public transit authority has taken a bold step to psychoanalyze the individuals who dodge their fee—likely with the same success as trying to convince a cat to take a bath. For those who haven’t been paying attention, fare evasion is a problem on New York’s sprawling subway system, making metro riders feel like they’re riding through a live-action version of “The Purge,” only instead of people running for their lives, it’s folks sprinting to avoid a $2.75 fare.
The MTA’s million-dollar mind-reading project seems less about rooting out the underlying issues of fare evaders, and more about throwing taxpayer money at a problem rather than tackling it head-on. One could argue that it’s akin to hiring a therapist to understand why someone would rather take off running than pay for a subway ticket. Instead of unveiling the deep-rooted psychological needs of these fare evaders, maybe the MTA should hire more fare inspectors. It’s hard to break down the psyche of a serial fare dodger when they have merely run off into the sunset.
MTA wasting $1M to study ‘psychology’ of fare beaters — as agency cries poverty, pushes for congestion pricing https://t.co/5Li3KcTeGq pic.twitter.com/XwbQ6Wd4yM
— New York Post (@nypost) December 14, 2024
Of course, the MTA previously announced a campaign to put up “no fare evasion” signs, which must have been so effective that they saw the need for a psychological deep dive. They could have saved a ton of money and achieved the same effect by simply plastering up signs that scream common sense. After all, if a subway ride can cost as much as a cup of coffee in this inflation-riddled society, perhaps understanding why some people see that coffee price tag as more palatable will bring more clarity than any psychoanalysis.
In a city that faces far more pressing issues, from rampant crime to crumbling infrastructure, the MTA seems terribly distracted. Rather than blowing millions of dollars puzzling over the thoughts of fare evaders, wouldn’t it be more effective to invest in security measures? There’s irony in the fact that they can spare one million dollars for psychological research, yet they struggle to keep trains running on time or fully staffed with personnel who can actually keep fares fair.
In conclusion, the MTA appears to be prioritizing expenditures that leave taxpayers scratching their heads. Instead of finding a shiny way to understand why some choose to hop the turnstile rather than dig into their pockets, maybe it’s time to wrap up some effective enforcement strategies. Looking into the minds of fare evaders sounds an awful lot like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—and we all know how well that usually ends.
