Transit officials said the resurgence in fare beating was both troubling and confusing.

He was arrested last year for fare beating and last spring on a charge of selling drugs.

Chief Bratton said he was preparing a new way to gauge fare beating.

Transit officials said that there were several reasons for concentrating their resources on fare beating.

Judge Solomon said that his court sentences about 30 to 40 people a day to community service for fare beating.

But conductors will tell you that fare beating is not just a phenomenon of the subway.

"The police had been to his house a number of times on fare beating and the parole violation."

Normally, people accused of fare beating are given desk warrants and released.

"Huge numbers of disgruntled people already have free subways through fare beating," he said.

Even so, losses from fare beating are down sharply since the cards were introduced.