VIDEO: 'Fare evaders' continue to jump as WMATA installs new gates in Pentagon City

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — The Pentagon City Metro stop is next on the list to receive the new taller faregates. Their purpose is to make it harder for people to jump over the gates, avoiding paying fare to ride.

According to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the new higher and stronger faregates are part of a systemwide rollout.

The design adds 55-inch-tall doors that are twice are 200 times stronger than glass. The L-shaped doors are nearly half the height of a standard basketball hoop, making them much harder to jump over. 

As WUSA9 was chatting with commuters about the gates Wednesday, two people jumped over the gates in the background.

While higher and stronger gates may be new, commuters say skipping out on the fare is not.

"I don't think it is. No, I've seen it myself and witnessed it," said one woman.

A man named Jeremiah told WUSA9 "they been doing it since before the pandemic."

Metro says they began cracking down on fare evasion last November. Since then, they say there have been 185 arrests and 2,384 citations issued.

WMATA says fare jumpers cost them upwards of $40 million a year.  Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Randy Clarke says they've already seen a reduction in fare evasion, but that they expect these gates to bring that down even further.

If you get caught, you face a $50 fine in D.C. and up to $100 in fines in Maryland and Virginia.

"It really bothers me because I'm paying my fare share and then for others to not it's not the right thing to do," said one commuter.

“Over the past several months, our team has been testing different prototypes to get to this final design. We have already seen a reduction in fare evasion and expect the higher gates will be more of a deterrent,” said Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Randy Clarke. “The bottom line is fare evasion is not OK, and we will continue our efforts to ensure everyone is respecting the community’s system and each other.”

Metro plans to install a single-door panel for all regular faregates, and double-door panels at the wider gates for accessibility and wheelchairs. 

The first Metro stations to receive the upgrade include:

Additionally, WMATA says it has stepped up enforcement efforts and tried new things to fight fare evasion including a income-qualified reduced fare program. Metro Lift provides a 50% fare discount to customers who qualify for SNAP benefits in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Almost 1,600 customers have enrolled, taking more than 11,000 combined trips.