Transportation & Mobility · Surprise rank #418
Fare-Evasion Notice? First Offense May Be a Warning—and Fair Fares Can Reduce or Waive a Fine
MTA’s current Transit Adjudication Bureau rules can turn a first fare-evasion violation into a warning, and Fair Fares participation can reduce or sometimes eliminate a later fine.
Who
People who receive an MTA Transit Adjudication Bureau fare-evasion Notice of Violation and meet the applicable first-offense or Fair Fares conditions.
Where: New York City Transit / MTA Transit Adjudication Bureau cases
What to do
Start here: Read the TAB Notice of Violation page immediately, check your history and, if potentially eligible, apply for Fair Fares before the stated hearing deadline.
Eligibility: The first-offense warning depends on no fare-evasion violation in the prior four years. Fair Fares relief depends on program participation or timely enrollment and the specific TAB rules.
What you get
For fare evasion, a first violation within the relevant four-year lookback can be a warning with nothing to pay. Existing Fair Fares participants can get a 50% penalty reduction, and some nonparticipants can have a fine waived by enrolling before the hearing date.
Benefit: Potentially the entire fine on a qualifying first offense or qualifying post-citation Fair Fares enrollment; existing Fair Fares participants can receive a 50% reduction.
Possible value: The amount saved depends on the notice and prior history; the benefit can range from half the penalty to the full eligible penalty being avoided.
Good to know
Important: Do not ignore the notice. Missing response deadlines can add $25, then another $25, plus interest. Not every violation qualifies for a waiver.
Availability: Active
Why people miss it: The ticket itself can look like a fixed debt even though current TAB rules contain a first-offense warning and separate Fair Fares relief.
Sources reviewed: Aug 10, 2026