Enforcement teams still crucial to battling bus fare evasion, MTA boss says amid stand-down order

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said Friday that bus fare evasion enforcement teams remain an "important component" a day after suspending the squads pending probes into recent violent altercations between agents and riders. Lieber, speaking at an unrelated Queens press event on Friday, said his safety stand-down order for the enforcement agents — dubbed Evasion and Graffiti Lawlessness Eradication (EAGLE) Teams — on Thursday should not be seen as the agency throwing in the towel in its fight against fare-beating. "We're not giving up on the battle against fare evasion because New Yorkers want buses to be there," Lieber said. "I don't want to be put in the position where we don't have the money to fund running the caliber of bus service and the frequency of bus service that New York needs. So, we're gonna continue working with communities, with elected officials, and with our ridership to make sure that fare evasion, which is now in excess of 40%, is brought down on buses." The trans