What you need to know about the MTA’s on-board mobile ticket activation surcharge
The surcharge affects passengers who wait until they’re on the train to activate their tickets.
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The MTA recently rolled out a controversial new policy that could cost Long Island Rail Road riders an extra $8 if they activate a mobile ticket after boarding their train.
The surcharge affects passengers who wait until they’re on the train to activate their tickets. According to MTA data from July, 55% of mobile ticket users activated their tickets only when the conductor arrived.
MTA officials say the policy is intended to curb what they describe as “opportunistic fare evasion,” a practice in which riders delay activating tickets in hopes of receiving a free ride if conductors do not make their way through the train.
Many riders, however, see the surcharge as another financial hit.
“I think it’s kind of messed up,” Mineola resident Donny Harrison said. “You already changed the prices, so now you add on another thing?”
The MTA says passengers who activate tickets onboard will first receive an escalating series of warnings before being charged the $8 fee. While the number of warnings is the same for all riders, the agency would not disclose how many warnings are currently being issued.
If a surcharge is imposed and not paid, riders will be unable to purchase or use their next ticket through the TrainTime app until the balance is settled.
MTA spokesperson Aaron Donovan had this message for riders, “Activate your ticket before you board.”
Some commuters have already changed their habits. CJ Adam, a rider in Hicksville, said he now activates his ticket before boarding every time. “I used to do it on the train,” he said, “but now you can’t do that anymore.”
The MTA says it can determine whether a ticket was activated onboard using the TrainTime app’s timekeeping function and not GPS monitoring. Officials also note that riders may still activate tickets from the platform after a train’s scheduled departure time if it is running late, since the system is based on real-time train operations.
