The MTA issued a final warning to transit riders Wednesday: Mask up or pay up.
One year after the state adopted a law allowing police to issue summonses to bus and train riders who don’t comply with COVID-19 masking regulations, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said they intend to hand out tickets more liberally in the coming days.
“I want to make it clear that we just want you to wear a mask, and we’re happy to provide you one if you forget yours at home,” MTA Police Acting Chief Joseph McGrann said outside of the authority’s Manhattan headquarters on Wednesday. “But make no mistake, if you refuse, you can expect to face a $50 fine.”
MTA officials said the stepped-up enforcement is part of a broader “mask blitz” that began earlier this month, and has included additional police at subway stations and onboard trains.
Despite having the authority to do so, police have, until now, been reluctant to issue many summonses — handing out just 41 tickets through mid-August, according to the MTA. McGrann said cops use their discretion during run-ins with noncompliant riders, and that most situations are resolved by a cop giving a rider a mask to put on. Over the last three weeks alone, MTA Police have handed out 25,000 masks.
“At this point … we’re going to start handing out summonses more frequently,” MTA chief safety and security officer Patrick Warren said. “We fully expect people to comply going forward. But we’re just putting people on fair notice.”
After reporting nearly 100% of its riders masking up for months, the MTA saw compliance rates dip early in the summer, as mask requirements were relaxed in many locations and as more people got vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Warren said compliance rates recently have rebounded to 87% on subways and “in the low nineties” on the LIRR.
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