Aiming to recoup tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue from unpaid fares, the MBTA and commuter rail operator Keolis plan to install fare gates at three Boston hub stations by the end of the year, officials said Monday.

Officials plan to implement the devices at North, South and Back Bay stations, according to a presentation made at Monday’s joint Department of Transportation Board and MBTA Fiscal Management and Control Board meeting. The gates, roughly similar to what the MBTA has in place at most subway stations, will require passengers to present a viable commuter rail or Amtrak ticket before reaching train platforms or exiting the station.

The MBTA lost between $10 million and $20 million, or about 4 to 8 percent of total revenue, in fiscal year 2018 on fare evasions, according to Mike Muller, the MBTA’s new assistant general manager for strategic initiatives. Across the industry, fare gates carry an average of about 3 percent loss, and nine out of every 10 commuter rail trips use one of the three hubs, so officials believe the new technology should help erase a significant portion of those losses.

“We believe we have workable solutions for all three station locations,” Muller said.

Muller did not offer a specific date, but said Keolis plans to secure final permitting and install the gates by the end of 2020, three years after the FMCB outlined them as an important investment.

The gates will be able to scan for tickets both entering and exiting, but MBTA officials have discretion on whether to require proof of ticket in both directions. However, once the authority’s currently-in-development new automated fare collection system is implemented – something Muller estimated would happen “in a few years” – riders will tap in and tap out at every station, allowing for additional revenue recovery.

Fare Gates Planned at Three Commuter Rail Hubs

by State House News Service time to read: 1 min
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