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New Yorkers may soon hear a new question during their commute—and it will sound a little more Berlin than Bronx: “Can you show me your phone or your OMNY card?” The MTA has announced plans to roll out a “European-style” fare inspection system aboard city buses, replacing NYPD enforcement with civilian agents, in its latest effort to curb fare evasion.
Janno Lieber, the MTA’s chair and CEO, announced the shift this week, calling it a practical response to a long-running issue: the NYPD doesn’t assign enough officers to patrol buses. The subway system already commands most of that staffing, leaving buses with what amounts to an honor system—one that’s cost the agency dearly. According to the Citizens Budget Commission, the MTA lost $568 million to unpaid bus fares last year.
If you've ever watched riders slip in through the back door while the bus idles at a stop or just saunter past a bus driver in the boarding flurry, you know exactly where that number comes from. The problem accelerated during the pandemic, when the MTA temporarily asked riders to board through rear doors to protect drivers. “We never put the toothpaste back in the tube,” Lieber said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Under the new model, which is common in cities like Paris, Vienna and Stockholm, fare inspectors will board, ask passengers to present proof of payment and validate their tap. No turnstiles, no paper slips to flash at the front, no police involvement. The whole system hinges on OMNY being fully implemented, which the MTA says should happen next year. (A firm timeline for the inspector rollout remains TBD.)
The new system won’t be entirely unfamiliar, though. The MTA already uses EAGLE Teams, which are civilian inspectors who conduct checks on Select Bus Service and at specific high-evasion stops. The teams have made more than 370 inspections since expanding in 2024, and Governor Kathy Hochul’s office says payment compliance rose 7% at those locations. The difference now is that this style of enforcement would become the norm across regular bus service.
Still, some questions remain unanswered. Will all-door boarding officially become standard? How often will spot checks happen? And is this enough to dent fare evasion at a meaningful scale? Lieber is optimistic, noting that fare beating on buses has already declined for five consecutive quarters. And for riders, the change might feel end up being more welcome than crackdown—less NYPD, more transit staff politely asking for a tap receipt.
So if an inspector approaches you next year, don’t panic. You’re not in trouble. You’re just in Amsterdam… aboard the M14.