New York City's MTA is starting to fine anyone riding on city trains or buses without a face covering - enforcing the mask mandate more than a year after it went on the books. Any straphanger caught traveling on the MTA without a mask is subject to a $50 fine, the agency announced Wednesday. 'While the fine has been in place since last fall, we began ramping up enforcement on Sept. 7 to drive compliance,' MTA Chief Safety Officer Pat Warren said at a press conference. 'That includes stationing MTA police and staff at strategic subway railroad hubs and bus terminals to meet workers heading back to the office and students coming to school for the first time in person.' The MTA's mask mandate was initially instated in September 2020 to protect riders from the spread of COVID-19, and since then, the agency's transit police force has issued only 41 summonses to maskless straphangers, according to the New York Post. The agency also has handed out hundreds of thousands masks to riders. The MTA will begin to enforce a mask mandate for anyone riding on city trains or buses, and while the rule has been on the books for over a year, the agency says the grace period is over Any straphanger caught traveling on the MTA without a mask is subject to a $50 fine, the agency announced on Wednesday MTA officials said they are looking out for their employees as well, in a city where 34,102 people have died from COVID-19 and over a million others have contracted the virus since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. Data obtained by the New York Times shows that from late May until early July, the rate of new daily coronavirus cases steadily dropped to some of the lowest levels since the start of the pandemic, before once again spiking in August and September. On Tuesday alone, there were 1,720 new reported cases of COVID-19, compared to 128 on July 3. Subway workers were hit particularly hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 171 deaths from the virus as of this month, The City reported last week. And as for vaccine mandates, the MTA has been putting pressure on its unvaccinated workers. On September 12, the MTA announced it had pulled a $500,000 death benefit for any unvaccinated employees who succumb to COVID-19, while survivors of vaccinated workers who die from the virus receive the half-million dollar lump sum payout and three years of health insurance. The MTA's mask mandate has been on the books since September 2020, with the agency's transit police force issuing only 41 summonses to maskless straphangers since then As of August, 70 percent of the agency was vaccinated, according to Crain's New York. There is no vaccine mandate for riders. Meanwhile, straphangers who learned of the MTA's plan to enforce the year-old mask policy appeared supportive. 'At the end of the day we’re all in this together, and as New Yorkers, we’ve been through a lot and it’s not much to ask.' 'So if we can be a little bit safer and still get where we need to go, it’s what we should do,' New Rochelle resident Troy Sill told CBS2. For those straphangers who forget to bring a mask, free face coverings are offered at many subway stations citywide. Under state and federal law, face coverings are required on buses, trains and in enclosed stations 'I totally agree. It’s the least thing we can do. I believe that we all are responsible for each other,' Washington Heights resident Richard Wingert added. Wingert told the news outlet that often more than half of his fellow straphangers aren't wearing masks during his packed rides in the city. CBS2 reported that several maskless riders ran away when confronted with questions regarding their lack of face coverings. Under state and federal law, face coverings are required on buses, trains and in enclosed stations. For those straphangers who forget to bring a mask, free face coverings are offered at many subway stations citywide. All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility