It seems like no one is really keeping an eye on the security guards.
Private security personnel hired by the Metropolitan Transportation Bureau to monitor subway stations and deter fare evasion are, ironically, assisting fare beaters instead.
I noticed recently at Herald Square Station that the Allied Universal Security Guard opened emergency doors not once, but twice, allowing fare evaders to slip past.
Several commuters approached the guard and exchanged a few words, after which they were granted access. Each time the door opened, it seemed that others were eager to sneak through.
“Every time the gate opens, it’s like no one wants to pay,” said Romaldo Zampou, a Bronx resident. “They say, ‘You’re not a cop,’ and honestly, they can’t be stopped.”
“Once they cross the gate, you just have to let them in,” he added.
Zampou mentioned that commuters looking for free rides tend to come up with various excuses, earning around $800 for their five-hour shifts each week.
“I hear things like, ‘My phone has been taken, my card is empty, my card doesn’t work… even the clerk said I could go through,'” he said. “Sometimes two people swipe once for others. Most folks just don’t want to pay.”
Last year, the MTA quietly entered a multi-million-dollar agreement with Pennsylvania-based Allied Universal Security Services, providing 500 guards to help manage turnstile jumping.
Currently, there are about 1,000 unarmed guards in the subway system, with the MTA reportedly spending upwards of $35 million on this major private security contractor.
Fare evasion can cost the MTA as much as $800 million each year.
While armed guards can earn around $100 an hour, their unarmed counterparts make about $25 an hour, and each shift includes a 30-minute break.
At Herald Square Station, three armed guards are supposed to stay near the Metro Card Machine from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. However, over several visits in the last few weeks, I’ve never spotted them there.
At another station on West 96th Avenue, I witnessed the guards being less than diligent during their shifts—one was seen smoking, and others were spotted grabbing coffee.
Often, when one group was on duty, the other entrance was left unattended. Furthermore, it was common to see guards conversing with NYPD officers rather than policing the area.
According to a source, these guards sometimes doze off during their shifts or spend time at a nearby diner.
“Everyone at the top knows what’s going on, but nothing changes,” said the insider. “Yet the MTA continues to send them money every month.”
State and city politicians have called out the MTA for poorly managing its hefty $20 billion budget. This criticism is akin to wasting federal grant money on trivial research.
Even U.S. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy has recently criticized agencies for poor financial oversight.
The MTA struggles to collect billions in fare revenue and has resorted to various rescue programs, including congestion pricing and raising fares to keep the budget balanced.
“For millions of New Yorkers who pay their fares, it feels illegal and unjust for someone to use an exit gate to board the train without paying,” noted MTA spokesperson Kayla Shults.
Allied Universal did not reply to requests for comment.
