SEPTA is trying a new turn on an old problem: fare evasion. Modified turnstiles are being piloted at Walnut-Locust Station in Philadelphia as part of an effort to make fare evasion more difficult. SEPTA has physically modified the 12-year-old turnstiles with plastic extensions to the gate’s arms, side plexiglass panels, and redesigned internal mechanisms that lock sooner when someone attempts to force the gates backward. Sam Sulaiman, SEPTA’s senior director of revenue operations, said a 20% reduction in fare evasion at the station would be considered a success. “It’s a pilot, we’re seeing how it’s going to work,” Sulaiman said. He said the Walnut-Locust station was chosen in part because it is expected to be busy for FIFA World Cup festivities. The summer pilot is designed to identify weaknesses and make adjustments before a broader rollout. The pilot will expand to 8th Street, 15th Street Express and Olney this summer, with modifications planned for 40 of SEPTA’s 50 Broad Street and Market-Frankford Line stations by March 2027. (The remaining 10 already have the full-length gates.) The agency said one of the biggest advantages is cost: $4,000 per modification compared to $40,000 per full-length gate. The tradeoff is the lifespan. SEPTA said the modifications are expected to last two years, compared to 15 years for full gates. Still, the agency said the short-term change to the aging turnstiles should pay for itself within a year. When they need to be replaced, SEPTA chief media relations officer Andrew Busch said “we will be ready to replace them with full-length 3D gates.” Full-length gates are a long-term fix and anticipated to have stronger fare evasion deterrence than the turnstile modifications, Busch said. On Thursday, SEPTA employees were still installing the modifications when one fare-evader got stuck trying to squeeze through. Surveillance video shows a few minutes later, he paid and went through SEPTA has tried to crack down on fare evasion in recent years. Enforcement instances jumped from 6,990 in 2023 to 17,164 in 2025, according to data provided by the agency. “It is an epidemic,” said James Zuggi, SEPTA’s deputy chief of transit police. Zuggi said officers have made substantial progress in addressing fare evasion at stations. “By addressing and introducing our police officers at the gate and addressing fare evasion and letting people know what’s expected of them … that brought down our crime,” Zuggi said. In a report earlier this year, SEPTA officials said serious crimes, including murder, rape and burglary, across its system in 2025 had reached its lowest level since 2015. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less