BOSTON — Scofflaws take notice: The MBTA announced Thursday it will launch a renewed effort to collect subway fares with written warnings and fines of up to $150 early next month.
A wide-ranging transportation bond law in January 2021 spurred the restructuring of fare evasion penalties, and the T has not issued a warning or citation for the offense since at least that year, according to its annual reports. The T put 16 “fare engagement representatives” to work around the subway system starting in October and saw fare collection increases of up to as 35% at stations where the representatives were on-site.
Starting Sept. 8, those representatives will begin issuing formal warnings and citations to riders who try to board without having made a payment at a fare gate or box, the T announced Thursday. The standard one-way subway fare on the MBTA is $2.40, or $1.10 for participants in the reduced fare programs the T offers.
All first offenses will lead to a formal written warning, and subsequent offenses within a three-year period will be punished with fines of $50 (first, second and third subsequent offenses) or $100 (fourth subsequent offense and beyond).
“As we continue to improve service frequency across all modes, we have much more to do, and we rely on each rider to pay their fare and support continued service improvements. Your fares are essential to delivering the levels of service you expect and help us better support your community,” MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said.
“To our riders who pay for each and every trip, thank you! For those who may need support with payment, please reach out to us about the reduced fare opportunities we offer across all modes.”
Fines are higher for cases of fraudulent misuse of a reduced fare pass. After an initial warning, those offenses will carry $75 fines for the first, second and third instances and $150 fines for fourth and subsequent occasions.
Here’s how interactions with fare check agents are expected to go, according to the T:
Fare representatives will “visually check fares as they observe riders entering fare gates and boarding vehicles.”
If a rider has not paid the fare, the T worker will ask them to do so.
If the rider chooses not to pay the fare, “staff will ask for your ID to record a written warning without a fine or issue a citation with a fine” or will manually enter the rider’s information on an MBTA-issued device if the rider does not present an ID.
After a rider is issued a warning or a citation, they are free to continue on their journey.
Riders who refuse to pay the fare or provide ID information will be asked to leave the station or vehicle.
When the T’s board approved the new fare evasion regulations in late 2022, an assistant general manager said the agency wanted to normalize a system of “routine checks” that will keep riders regularly paying their fares.
“I shop in a Stop and Shop. Stop and Shop has the little pay gun. I go around and I put all my things into the cart and I check out. Most of the time, I check out and no one checks me, but once in a while, someone does and they audit me, and they’re kind of trying to keep me honest and make sure I don’t get sloppy,” Lynsey Heffernan told the board. “That’s really more analogous to the system we’re trying to build.”
The Legislature in recent years has more heavily invested in the T, which last raised standard fares in 2019.
A parallel effort is underway to bolster fare collection on the T’s Commuter Rail system. Fare gates where riders must pay or display a purchased pass to access platforms were introduced at North Station in 2022 and are expected to be installed at South Station soon.
This week, a large purple line on the ground showed where the fare gates will be installed between the South Station terminal and the platforms. Inbound riders who purchase tickets onboard will need to scan those to exit at South Station, and outbound riders will need to buy and display a ticket before accessing their train’s platform.