CDTA launches new campaign amid reported rise in fare evasion

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) is launching a public awareness campaign in an effort to increase fare compliance. The move comes as the public transportation provider reports a rise in fare evasion.

As part of the “Respect the Ride. Pay your Fare.” campaign, educational signage will be displayed on buses, shelters and social media. Announcements on buses will also remind riders to pay the fare, as well as “Fare Required” messaging on headway signs.

CDTA said they are launching the campaign due to an increased prevalence of fare evasion. CDTA Communications Manager Emily DeVito told NEWS10 that not only has the evasion impacted revenue and frustrated bus drivers and riders, it also prevents the public transit provider from gathering important ridership data.

“The money isn’t the only issue,” DeVito said. “When riders pay or tap their cards, this provides us with important data that helps us ensure we plan and schedule service where and when needed the most.”

In addition to public awareness elements, CDTA has implemented technology to track when and where people tend to not pay the fare, including on-board cameras, fare boxes and automatic passenger counters. Bus operators are now also required to press a specific button on their operator control unit whenever someone does not pay the fare.

“This will help us assess how often it is happening and where,” DeVito said.

When it comes to enforcement of fare compliance, DeVito told NEWS10 that bus drivers can often recognize when people want to pay but can’t, versus when a person constantly makes no attempt to pay. CDTA will reportedly begin deploying supervisors and their Fairness in Fare Ambassadors to ride the buses to support fare compliance, and prohibit repeat offenders from riding.

“Every rider who pays their fare contributes to a stronger, more reliable system,” said CDTA CEO Frank Annicaro. “We are thankful to our riders who do pay, but we want to work on building a culture of fairness and accountability on our transit system.”

CDTA’s base cash fare is $1.50, and BusPlus cash fare is $2. Half-fare programs are also available and can be found on the CDTA website.