AI Surveillance Utilized by MTA to Monitor Subway Station Fare Evasion

By Mindy Cohn

In their May report, the MTA highlighted the installation of artificial intelligence at seven undisclosed locations to monitor turnstile jumping.

The MTA has suffered the loss of an estimated $690 million in unpaid fares since 2022. 

The AI technology the Spanish company AWAAIT created came with a price tag of over  $35,335 thus far. Twenty-four more subway stations will be upgraded with the new system within the year, with more to come.

The MTA  says that the AI technology does not send information on fare evaders to the NYPD and is instead presently being used only to collect data and observe fare evasion trends. 

While the MTA plans to spend more than $45 million on making turnstiles harder to jump through, it won't change the fact that more than half of those who choose to ride for free come from riders walking into stations through the emergency exit gates.