MTA Bus Fare Evasion Rates by Service Type Since 2019

Quarterly bus fare evasion rates for New York City Transit, estimated systemwide using Automated Passenger Counters. Data covers Local/Limited, Express, and Select Bus Service categories, with methodology shifting from traffic checker surveys to automated counters in Q1 2020.

Use Cases

• Analyze quarterly fare evasion rate trends across Local/Limited, Express, and Select Bus Service categories.
• Compare pre-2020 survey-based evasion estimates with post-2020 Automated Passenger Counter data to assess methodology impact.
• Model fare evasion rate correlations with service type and seasonal factors using quarterly time-series data.

Strengths

• Data is reported quarterly, providing consistent temporal granularity for trend analysis.
• Covers three distinct service categories (Local/Limited, Express, Select Bus Service) for comparative analysis.
• Methodology is documented, specifying the shift from traffic checker surveys to Automated Passenger Counters in Q1 2020.

Limitations

• No row count or granular passenger-level data is provided, limiting analysis to aggregated rates.
• Pre-2020 data relies on survey estimates, which may have different accuracy characteristics than automated counts.
• Geographic scope is limited to the MTA system in New York City.

Provenance

Source

State of New York

Collection Method

Calculated systemwide using Automated Passenger Counters; prior to Q1 2020, estimated using traffic checker surveys.

Time Range

Beginning 2019, reported quarterly.

Freshness

Updated quarterly, with the latest metadata update in January 2026.

Geography

New York City Transit (MTA) bus system.