The New York City subway system is undergoing a major transformation, with three companies vying for a $1.1 billion contract to redesign the city's turnstiles. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has long blamed the current turnstile design for rampant fare evasion, and is now testing new fare gate designs at 10 subway stations as part of a pilot program. The program is set to expand to 20 stations in the coming weeks, with the MTA aiming to install new entry points at 150 stations across the subway system.
At least two of the companies, Cubic and Conduent, have installed fare gates with advanced surveillance technology that can automatically detect fare evasion. These gates use artificial intelligence to track fare evaders and issue alerts, with cameras recording a five-second clip and AI writing a physical description of the suspected fare beater. The information is automatically sent to the MTA.
However, Cubic has faced criticism for delays and bugs with the rollout of the MTA's OMNY tap-to-pay system, which it also designed. The company's new fare gates are currently being tested at busy stations like Atlantic Terminal, Port Authority, and Hoyt-Schermerhorn, with plans to add them to the 125th Street station on the A, B, C, and D lines next week.
Two other companies, STraffic and Conduent, are also vying for the same contract and have installed their own modern fare gates in subway stations as part of the MTA's pilot. Conduent, in particular, has experience with similar fare gate designs in Philadelphia's subway system, and touts its own form of AI technology that uses sensors to collect data on riders who evade the fare.
The MTA is seeking other ways to deploy AI technology in the subways, with plans to use AI to detect 'problematic behavior' among riders. The pilot program continues, with results to be reviewed at the appropriate time, and the vendors selected to supply fare gates for the future.
