Watch: NYC Subway’s New Fare-Beater-Proof Gates Defeated by Hand Wave

A simple, well-placed wave of a hand defeats new $700 million turnstiles the New York City subway system is rolling out to help eliminate rampant fare evasion.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) touted the installation of “modern fare gate technology” in a press event last month in Queens.

The state agency plans to use them to replace emergency exit gates, which are a major contributor to subway fare evasion.

“This new generation of fare gates is critical not only to advancing accessibility but also preventing fare evasion, which threatens the financial wellbeing of our entire transit system,” said MTA official Jamie-Torres-Springer.

“More than half of all subway fare evasion occurs through emergency exit gates, and this redesign of our fare array infrastructure will eliminate this opportunity.”

But a recent TikTok video titled “New NYC MTA Turnstile HACK” shows a man walking into one of the new turnstile lanes, leaning over and waving his hand over a sensor in the lane next to him.

He then walks around to that turnstile and walks into the station without paying the fare.

The sensors are there to open the gates for people exiting the station.

Riders have also bypassed the gates without paying by cramming multiple people behind one person who pays their fare, a practice known as piggybacking.

One employee told the New York Post they had seen multiple people following a paying customer through the new gates.

The MTA loses $690 million a year to fare beating.

“I don’t think I’ve seen technology that’s perfect in any city, frankly,” said Rich Davey, the president of the New York City Transit Authority, at the unveiling ceremony for the new gates. “But this is obviously going a long way to improving our current turnstile system.”