Fare evasion: MTA plans to use ‘European model’ of agents asking bus riders if they paid after boarding, Lieber says

The MTA says it is going "European style" in its effort to significantly shake up how it enforces fare evasion on city buses, the agency's Chair and CEO Janno Lieber revealed on Tuesday.

Lieber announced that the agency is adopting a European-inspired model of enforcement that will involve fare agents, rather than cops, making sure all bus passengers have paid their fares after boarding. The agents, Lieber said, would go up to customers and say, "'Can you show me your phone or your OMNY card? I can validate that you paid.'"

The MTA boss said that the change is being made because the NYPD does not assign enough police officers to enforce fare payment on the buses. The NYPD already has officers assigned throughout the subway system.

In many European transit systems, riders purchase their