Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
MTA suspending bus fare enforcement teams after altercations emerge
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 12:50 p.m. ET
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Marc A. Hermann/MTA
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 12:50 p.m. ET
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The MTA is temporarily shutting down its bus fare enforcement teams after a Brooklyn school dean was roughed up by agents who suspected he hadn’t paid, MTA Chair Janno Lieber announced at a news conference Thursday, adding that a second incident had also come to his attention.
The MTA will review safety protocols while the so-called EAGLE teams are taken off the street. Lieber shared few details about the second incident, but said it raised similar questions about whether the agents involved had shared timely, accurate information about the altercation with supervisors.
“I was not happy that leadership of the MTA and even New York City Transit didn’t even hear about that episode until more than a week afterwards. It now appears that there is another episode where that failure to timely report is even more extreme. The incident that's come to attention is now several months old and it didn’t come up,” Lieber said.
“I’m not willing to keep our teams active in the field until I know that all protocols are being followed with respect to both the customer interactions, how they’re conducted, but also with respect to the reporting and investigation of incidents … As a result I’m ordering an immediate safety stand-down until these investigations conclude,” he added.
Lieber has previously said the EAGLE teams, who scan bus tickets and issue fines to fare-beaters, are critical to reducing rampant fare evasion on buses. MTA statistics show as much as half of bus riders skip the fare.
But a video of a confrontation between EAGLE agents and Mott Bridges Academy dean Kyle Taylor prompted questions about the conduct of the teams enforcing $3 rides.
Video showed agents pinned Taylor against a bus and slammed him to the ground after they asked if he paid his fare on a B14 bus in Brownsville. He sustained injuries to his back, neck, shoulder, arm and elbow.
The MTA suspended the agents involved while it began investigating the incident. Taylor maintains he did pay for the fare after transferring from a different bus, where he received a transfer ticket.
An EAGLE officer filed official paperwork reporting that Taylor “fell out of the bus” and refused medical attention, an account contradicted by the video footage.
“We’re going to take a break, and take another look and we’ll be back when we’ve completed that,” Lieber added.
Tagged
new york city
transportation
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Ex-Adams aide accused of pocketing kickbacks from community program funds
Federal prosecutors say Anthony Herbert took more than $100,000 in undisclosed payments from a nonprofit that received funding for community programs, including at NYCHA complexes.
By
Samantha Max
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 1:32 p.m. ET
MTA to begin 6-year project to upgrade signal tech on A and C lines in Brooklyn and Queens
The $1.9 billion project isn't expected to wrap up until 2032.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
News
MTA to begin 6-year project to upgrade signal tech on A and C lines in Brooklyn and Queens
The $1.9 billion project isn't expected to wrap up until 2032.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Former NYPD detective held on $1M bail after police say he shot driver on GWB
By
Brittany Kriegstein
NYC's horse carriage industry facing potential extinction with Thursday Council vote
By
Catalina Gonella
Jersey City housing development deal expected to send money to schools, city government
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .