Staff Reports
In the latest episode of “Only in New York,” reports reveal that nearly 50% of bus riders in the Big Apple have developed a curious case of “fare amnesia,” opting to ride without paying. The New York Times recently detailed how, each weekday, around one million bus riders hop on without flashing a MetroCard—or, let’s be honest, any form of payment. This could only be described as the modern-day equivalent of a bake sale, minus the cookies and honesty.
As the Metropolitan Transit Authority continues to tally the fallout from this phenomenon, the numbers are staggering: a whopping $315 million lost in 2022 alone due to bus fare evasion, coupled with another $285 million from subway thefts. One could almost hear the tender wailing of good, honest taxpayers mourning their fiscal fate as their hard-earned dollars vanish into the abyss of progressive mismanagement and lack of accountability.
The article serves as a glaring reflection of how progressive policies can rot the very fabric of society. Just five years ago, New York City basked in the glow of a mere 20% fare evasion rate. Fast forward to 2024 and that number has ballooned to 48%. It turns out that when people feel they won’t face repercussions for their actions, they turn to theft—who’d have guessed? The local government’s “don’t worry about it” approach appears to have inspired a whole new generation of fare evaders, who presumably think their moral compass is just as lost as their sense of cash flow.
Diving deeper into the excuses offered by these modern-day Robin Hoods, one explanation is the classic “I didn’t have exact change.” Really? Is New York City now a land plagued by vending machine levels of cashlessness? One doesn’t have to be a mathematician to appreciate the, shall we say, illogic behind this reasoning. It’s an excuse often employed by those who know they’re breaking the law and are just savvy enough to craft an elaborate rationalization. After all, everyone knows that stealing a bus fare is totally different than, say, shoplifting a candy bar—right?
Almost Half of NYC Bus Riders Don't Pay: An Explanationhttps://t.co/KU1mBN6dSH
— PJ Media (@PJMedia_com) August 27, 2024
The most significant underpinning of this trend lies in the absence of consequences. While a progressive utopia may strive to decriminalize everything from fare evasion to shoplifting, the simple truth is that without a threat of punishment, no longer will the citizens of the Big Apple think twice before sashaying into the bus without paying. Other metropolitan areas like London and Paris serve as cautionary tales—strict fines and enforcement keep fare evasion rates in check, showcasing the effectiveness of a spine in policing. It’s no wonder that when cities are soft on crime, they reap a harvest of thievery and deception.
So what does this say about the current state of American cities? The truth is that the Left seems to be locked in a civil war against not just conservative views but against civilized society itself. With progressive policies, they’ve championed a neighborhood ethos where moral conduct is more of a suggestion than a law, leading to outcomes like rampant fare evasion. The juxtaposition of fare evasion rates in different cities speaks volumes, illustrating that crime flourishes where deterrents disappear. If nothing else, New Yorkers are being given a living demonstration of what happens when progressive ideas truly take the wheel of governance. The result? A city lost in a fare-free fall.
