The MTA is temporarily shutting down its bus fare enforcement teams after a Brooklyn school dean was roughed up by officers who suspected him of not paying, MTA President Janno Lieber announced at a news conference Thursday, adding that a second incident had also caught his attention.
The MTA will review safety protocols while so-called EAGLE teams are taken off the streets. Lieber shared few details about the second incident, but said it raises similar questions about whether the officers involved shared accurate information about the altercation with supervisors in a timely manner.
“I was not happy that the leadership of the MTA and even New York City Transit did not hear about this episode until over a week later. It now appears that there is another episode where this failure to report in a timely manner is even more extreme. The incident that attracted attention is now several months old and it has not been discussed,” Lieber said.
“I am not prepared to keep our teams active in the field until I am sure that all protocols are being followed with respect to both customer interactions, the manner in which they are conducted, but also with respect to the reporting and investigation of incidents… Accordingly, I am ordering an immediate suspension of security measures until the conclusion of these investigations,” he added.
Lieber has previously said that EAGLE teams, which scan bus tickets and fine evaders, are key to reducing widespread bus fare evasion. MTA statistics show that nearly half of bus riders skip the ticket.
But a video of a confrontation between EAGLE agents and Mott Bridges Academy dean Kyle Taylor has sparked questions about the conduct of teams charging $3 rides.
The video shows officers tackled Taylor against a bus and threw him to the ground after asking if he had paid for his fare on a B14 bus in Brownsville. He suffered injuries to his back, neck, shoulder, arm and elbow.
The MTA suspended the officers involved while it began investigating the incident. Taylor maintains he paid the fare after being transferred from another bus, where he received a transfer ticket.
An EAGLE agent filed official documents stating that Taylor “fell off the bus” and refused to receive medical treatment, an account contradicted by the video footage.
Taylor’s attorney, Benjamin Pinczewski, called for the unit to be disbanded entirely. “It disproportionately subjects people of color to this type of treatment, and it’s unacceptable,” Pinczewski said.
“We’re going to take a break, take another look and we’ll come back when we finish this,” Lieber added.
Jeremy Edwards, spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, welcomed the decision.
“No New Yorker should fear for their safety because they cannot afford the fare. We welcome the MTA’s decision to suspend fare enforcement while it investigates reports of excessive force by members of its fare collection teams. Our transit system should make life easier, not harder,” Edwards said.
Gn bussni
