An X user is calling out the new modern fare subway turnstile gates in New York City subway stations for not “making a difference,” even though the purpose of them is supposedly to “combat fare evasion.”
Apparently, there are some people in New York City who would rather dodge paying the fare to take the subway than just pay for the travel cost, and X user @SusieM414141 claims the MTA ‘spent millions’ to install the new gates. But in the clip she reshared, it seems there is still a workaround for getting through them without having to pay.
People are always going to find a way to get around paying, these gates won’t make a difference. You can see how easy it was for her to go through behind someone else.
— Suzee Q (@SusieM414141) August 12, 2026
MTA spent millions of dollars to install new Modern Fare Subway Turnstile Gates to combat fare evasion in… pic.twitter.com/w8Y0xRF3tz
Woman Tries Different Ways to Get Through NYC’s New Subway Fare Gates
In the reshared clip, a woman attempts to get through the new gates at an NYC subway station. The gates are clear, with only a small opening in the middle. The bottom is also open, though there appears to be little room for an adult to crawl underneath.
Instead of even trying that, the woman in the clip can be seen holding a broom while standing on one side of the gates and pushing it through the opening. On the other end of the broom is a wig, presumably to trick the gates into thinking there is a person trying to walk through and get them to open. She also has a purse attached to the end of it, likely to further convince the gate to open.
She swings it through multiple times, and while she has no luck getting the gate to open with her mop-wig setup, she then tries to throw the wig over, hoping to catch the sensors that are presumably there. That doesn’t work either.
She then throws her bag over, and again, the gates don’t open. She then tries to swing the broom by itself without the wig through the little opening, and it still doesn’t work.
She then notices a person going through the gates next to her and quickly tries to slip through, but the gates close too quickly. But she doesn’t give up.
At the gate next to that one, someone had just walked through, and she quickly moved over to that one. This time, it remained open long enough for her to get through.
She then gives the camera a thumbs-up to show she was finally successful at getting through the gates.
While one person questioned, “How broke do you have to be to do this?” another suggested that the only way to stop people from avoiding the subway fare would be to have police or security officers stationed at the gates. However, the user acknowledged that doing so would cost more money.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the circumstances surrounding the video, including whether the woman paid the subway fare or whether the gates shown in the clip are operated by the MTA.
