As Northeastern students stroll through Ruggles Station this fall, they might see some new faces from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, or MBTA, carefully monitoring for any instances of fare evasion. Beginning Sept. 8, the MBTA is deploying Fare Engagement Representatives at key MBTA stops to promote fare compliance as a part of the Fare Engagement Program, or FEP.
In addition to placing employees, who will wear blue vests, at the entrances, the MBTA has installed posters and displays cautioning riders against fare evasion. The attempt to increase MBTA payment measures has been ongoing since October 2024 in light of decreasing revenue.
Elizabeth Winters Ronaldson, deputy chief of fare revenue for the MBTA, was asked about fare loss in a media availability meeting at Government Center station Sept. 8. She said before COVID-19, the MBTA generated about $670 million a year in fare revenue, as compared to $440 million last year. In a 2021 study, MBTA fare evasion loss was estimated between $25 million and $30 million annually.
Riders who evade fare payment and are caught by FEP representatives will face penalties. First offense riders will receive either a written warning without a fine or an issued citation with a fine. Fines begin at $50 for the first three citations, and after the third, riders are expected to pay a maximum of $150. The MBTA said the fine may vary based on the number of times a rider has been cited and the way they violated paying for their fare.
In an interview with Boston.com, MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said he feels confident in the new FEP program, noting fare collections have increased by up to 35% at bus and trolley stations where fare representatives were on site.
Bowden Meshkowitz, a first-year economics major at Bunker Hill Community College, is skeptical of the efforts.
“I live in Jamaica Plain — I use the MBTA to get in and out of the city. I use the Jackson Square stop,” Meshkowitz said. He notes on multiple occasions he has seen orange line riders evade fares, by a variety of measures. Many of the evaders were seen by MBTA workers in the act, however, no transit worker has gone out of their way to stop them.
Approximately 66% of Northeastern students are from out-of-state, with about 21% being in-state residents and 12% being international students. Citywide, 163,000 students are enrolled in Boston-based undergraduate and graduate degree programs, making up about 4% of Boston’s population overall. With the MBTA the fourth-busiest public transit system in the United States, some people believe students are the largest contributors to fare evasion.
Minh Mai, a fourth-year business and political science combined major at Northeastern and Dorchester native, feels the new fare checks could improve the MBTA for everyone.
“I’ll be honest with you, with my experience, I don’t think a single person pays [their fare]. And that’s just like strictly an observation because it’s so easy,” Mai said. “But also, in all honesty, I feel like there’s a stigma around Boston having so much wealth and so many resources that they think that public transit should be free. And I’m totally for free public transit, but there have to be some opportunities, yeah?”
The MBTA’s Green Line has 59 above-ground stops, most of which lack ticket booths or significant security infrastructure. This is primarily due to space limitations caused by the line’s historic design and its placement in-between active roadways.
“It’s a lot easier to get on the second cart or the third cart and avoid paying all together,” Mai said. “But I feel like as a Boston resident I want to challenge that by saying; ‘Well if you look at who was in these Green Line spaces, they’re technically more affluent and more resource rich areas. And it’s kind of about time that people in these areas participate in the infrastructure and help to maintain a valuable resource that everyone uses. Especially international and out-of-state students, they have the resources to come here, they have the resources to study here, maybe they should contribute to the city around them.”
Sarah Ruana, a second-year computer science major at Northeastern from Seattle, also attributed the fare crackdown to students.
“A lot of the Boston colleges are so expensive a lot of students have the belief, ‘Why am I paying so much for tuition if there’s not some sort of deal between Northeastern and the MBTA?’” she said.
Ruana thinks universities in the area should pay a fee to the MBTA that would allow their students to ride the T for free or at a discounted price. She also said the pre-COVID setup of the system could’ve helped prevent fare dodging.
“I think that the best solution is instead of hiring more people to work these [FEP] jobs, they should go back to what they did pre-COVID, where you only get on at the front,” she said.
“As a younger Boston resident I was like. ‘I am entitled to this transit because I live in the city — I belong here.’ But now, growing up, I understand the value of it, so I pay,” Mai said. “So it differs, there is a sense of ‘I am a citizen here, I’m a resident here, this is a resource for me.’”
