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If you’ve noticed subway turnstiles starting to look a little more medieval lately, you’re not imagining things. Those jagged metal fins and awkward plastic paddles popping up across the system are part of a citywide push by the MTA to make fare evasion harder—and they’re coming to nearly every station.
According to documents published by the transit agency, the anti-hopping hardware has already been installed at 327 of the city’s 472 subway stations. Another 129 stations are slated to get the upgrades by the end of next month, which means most New Yorkers will soon be tapping in alongside what look like shark fins bolted to the fare array.
The MTA is spending $7.3 million on the rollout, a relatively modest price tag by transit standards, especially compared to the $1.1 billion it has budgeted to install fully redesigned fare gates at 150 stations as part of its five-year capital plan. Think of the spikes and paddles as the fast, cheap fix while the big-ticket turnstiles are still on the way.
The metal fins are about three feet tall and sit between turnstiles, with spikes along the top designed to stop people from grabbing the sides and hoisting themselves over. The plastic paddles attach directly to the turnstile arms, making it harder to leap cleanly across without tripping. Together, they’re meant to shut down some of the most common fare-dodging moves.
Transit officials say the tweaks are working. At stations where the equipment has already been installed, fare evasion has dropped by about 60%. That’s no small thing for an agency that estimates it will lose roughly $400 million to subway fare evasion this year, up sharply from $285 million in 2022.
“Some members of the public might think these interventions just look funny,” NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said at a recent board meeting. “But the truth of the matter is these modifications work.”
Not everyone is sold. MTA board members have raised concerns about safety, particularly for younger riders who may still try to hop turnstiles despite the new obstacles. Officials haven’t released data on injuries related to the devices, though Crichlow acknowledged he couldn’t say how many people get hurt attempting to evade the fare.
The contract for the equipment was approved under what the MTA described as an “immediate operating need,” which drew some criticism from board members who questioned the use of emergency procurement for something that’s now rolling out systemwide.
Next up: even more changes. Later this month, the MTA plans to pilot four new turnstile designs, featuring double doors, at 20 stations. If those tests go well, today’s spikes and paddles may just be the opening act in the subway’s increasingly hostile-to-hoppers era.