I actually heard exactly this from an MTA employee, that the free pass they get is not the best idea because it detaches them from experiencing the agency’s main product bsky.app/profile/thel...
The LIRR TodayA major reason OMNY went off the rails is that nobody at the MTA actually pays fares! So they are almost completely disconnected from the reality of how those of us who do pay our fares go about it (and how it influences travel habits) and their too aloof to put themselves in riders' shoes