Time to stop fare jumpers

To the editor:

I have seen large numbers of people not paying for the use of New York City mass transit, both buses and trains.

I think that this is a behavior that needs to be addressed, by both education and enforcement.

It is a behavior in which everybody loses.

The perpetrators, facing no consequences, could conceivably move on to more serious anti-social behavior.

The passengers who pay their fare feel abused for having done what is proper and expected. Respect for law and following social norms are undercut.

The financial consequences are real, close to $I billion is lost to the public treasury.

This is goods and services which our city needs, such as additional teachers, which will not be provided.

We, as a society, need to address this issue.

Glenn Fleischman

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority — a state agency — estimates it loses about $700 million annually in fare evasion. Fares, however, are used to pay specifically for the transit system, and do not benefit the city budget.