The Metropolitan Transportation Authority suspended its bus fare enforcement program on Oct. 22 following allegations of excessive force against passengers, raising concerns about the MTA’s approach to fare evasion and the conduct of its enforcement teams.
The program, known as Evasion and Graffiti Lawlessness Eradication, was established to address fare evasion on buses. However, officials said that they have not been successful. Fare evasion has risen from 36% in 2022 to 48% in the first half of 2026.
The suspension comes after a confrontation involving Kyle Taylor, a Brooklyn public school employee, who alleged that four transit workers assaulted him during a fare dispute on Oct. 6.
When Taylor was asked if he paid the $3 fare on the B14 bus, he told the workers that he used a single-use paper transfer. However, the workers still questioned his payment.
Surveillance footage reportedly showed Taylor being removed from the bus, slammed into the glass of a bus shelter and being wrestled to the ground by members of the EAGLE team, leaving him unconscious.
Taylor filed a $25 million lawsuit as the allegations remain under investigation.
“Every day I’m in pain. I just want justice for myself,” Taylor told CBS New York, carrying his arm in a sling. “It’s been difficult to sleep at night. It’s been hard to understand what happened to me.”
Back in August, another encounter occurred in the Bronx but was only brought up recently to officials.
“I was not happy that leadership of the MTA and even New York City Transit didn’t even hear about that episode until more than a week afterwards. It now appears that there is another episode where that failure to timely report is even more extreme. The incident that’s come to attention is now several months old and it didn’t come up,” MTA Chair Janno Lieber said.
In response, the MTA ordered the EAGLE teams to stand down as officials review their training, reporting procedures and investigation protocols. The suspension gives the MTA time to determine what changes are necessary before operations continue.
“Riders deserve complete confidence that our fare enforcement is fair and courteous and our EAGLE teams won’t be re-entering the field until I am confident with their [training] and reporting investigations protocols,” Lieber said.
As the MTA reviews its procedures, the agency faces immense pressure to address fare evasion without compromising passenger safety or trust.
