MBTA releases numbers around its planned crackdown on fare evasion

A little more than seven weeks into its crackdown on fare evaders, the MBTA has issued zero citations and 85 warnings to passengers as of Tuesday, a spokesperson said. 

The MBTA’s Fare Engagement Department began conducting checks to ensure riders have paid their fare on Sept. 8. 

“We’re pleased to report the public has warmly received the Fare Engagement Representative team. We thank all riders for paying their fares,” a spokesperson said. 

Blue-shirted employees known as “fare engagement representatives” are posted at subway stations and aboard vehicles to issue warnings or citations to riders who don’t pay. The MBTA said representatives won’t be seen on every trip but “on occasion.”

Riders who haven’t paid their fare first face a citation, then monetary fines, which can be up to $150 depending on the number of citations they’ve accumulated, according to the MBTA. 

“With strong support, we are making significant progress, but to sustain it, we owe it to our riders and the public at large to do our part and collect all appropriate fare revenue. It’s about a responsibility we have and fairness for all,” MBTA CEO Phillip Eng said in an August statement. 

The MBTA’s crackdown on fare evasion comes after the Trump administration threatened to remove federal support to the MBTA if it didn’t move to improve safety and prevent crime. 

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy on Oct. 6 noted an incident in Roxbury on Sept. 8 where an elderly woman was violently shoved off an MBTA bus. 

Eng penned a 12-page letter in response to Duffy, detailing a crime decrease along with public safety initiatives like adding dozens of police officers in recent years.

“Our work is never done, but the results are clear: we are delivering a safer, more reliable system for our riders, and we will continue to challenge ourselves every day to get better,” Eng said. 

The MBTA plans to eventually put fare engagement representatives on buses and Green Line and Mattapan Line trolleys, according to the MBTA.