MTA chief tells legislature congestion pricing, capital plan delivering but asks Albany for help on torts, plate fraud and labor
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Summary
MTA Chair Mister Jado Lieber told lawmakers the authority has reversed deficits, delivered major capital and accessibility gains and reduced fare evasion in subways, but asked the legislature to support tort/auto-insurance reform, help fight plate/toll fraud and back labor/work‑rule changes needed to control costs and execute the capital plan.
MTA Chairman Mister Jado Lieber told joint fiscal committees on Feb. 4 that the authority has made progress on ridership, accessibility and capital delivery but still needs statutory help from the legislature to sustain those gains.
Lieber opened with an inventory of 2025 results, noting record capital commitments, congestion pricing revenue and accessibility work. "We have we're gonna buy 2,000 railcars — 1,500 for the subway, 500 for the commuter rails — and $7 billion for rolling stock," he said, citing a broad rolling‑stock and bus procurement program and a new procurement office to improve competition and New York sourcing.
Why it matters: the MTA says recent accomplishments cut operating pressure but left structural challenges. Lieber told lawmakers federal discretionary grants and some FEMA reimbursements remain withheld, that fare evasion still costs the system hundreds of millions a year despite a reported 30% reduction in subway evasion, and that current tort and auto‑insurance exposure drives costs that otherwise would fund service.
Key details and requests: Lieber said federal discretionary funding has lagged on large projects — including Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 and Gateway — and urged members to press federal agencies; MTA CFO Jay Patel described roughly $50 million of unpaid federal FFGA invoices and about $600 million of FEMA money the agency says is not being released. Lieber also asked lawmakers to consider state action on auto‑insurance and torts to limit litigation costs that he called a drain on operating dollars.
On fare evasion Lieber reported the subway reduction and said the authority is focusing on turnstile and gate improvements, enforcement teams and Omni tap‑and‑ride technology to reduce unpaid trips on buses. "In the last year and a quarter we have knocked down fare evasion in the subways by 30%," he told committee members, while acknowledging bus fare recovery remains a bigger challenge until Omni is fully deployed.
Labor and procurement: Lieber told legislators the MTA faces complex pattern bargaining across 80 unions and urged help in changing some work rules to reduce automatic overtime and raise efficiency: "We are willing to pay more to unions provided they agree to eliminate antiquated work rules," he said. He highlighted cost and schedule savings from design‑build delivery on projects such as the Park Avenue viaduct.
What happens next: Lieber took questions across members' districts about plate/toll fraud and congestion pricing discounts. Lawmakers pressed on how the MTA will use congestion pricing and casino license revenues in its five‑year plan, and Lieber said the authority will continue to press for federal funds while pursuing internal cost reductions and targeted procurement and labor reforms.
