Report: MTA using AI to track fare evaders

MTA New York City Transit has rolled out artificial intelligence-powered surveillance software at some subway stations to catch fare evaders, according to a report from NBC News.

According to the report, based on public documents and government contracts that NBC obtained, the effort uses third-party software that apparently helps engage law enforcement to crack down on fare evasion, according to Spanish AI firm AWAAIT, the software's maker. But the software doesn't flag fare evaders to the New York Police Department, said MTA spokesperson Joana Flores.

The system was in use at seven subway stations in May, according to a fare evasion report published by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. By year's end, the system will expand to two dozen more stations, with more to follow, the report states. MTA lost $690 million to fare evasion in 2022, according to the MTA report.

MTA maintains more than 10,000 surveillance cameras across all its transit services. Of those, the ones using the AI store videos of fare evaders on MTA's servers for a limited period, said MTA Communications Director Tim Minton told NBC.

"The objective is to determine how many people are evading the fare and how are they doing it," Minton said.