What percentage of Metrobus riders hop on and travel to their destination without paying? It’s higher than you might think.
The current figure is “approaching 70%,” said Matt Letourneau, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) representative on the board of directors of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
That level is unacceptable, Letourneau said at the Oct. 3 NVTC meeting . But WMATA officials do not, at present, have a figure they want to see it reduced to, nor specifics on the reasons fares are not paid.
“It will be worthwhile to have that discussion,” he said after getting requests from fellow board members.
The base fare for a Metrobus trip is $2.25, a figure that rose 12.5% on June 30 to account for inflation and to maintain levels of bus service for the agency’s new fiscal year. The D.C. City Council in 2022 approved legislation to fund fare-free bus service within its confines, but implementation has been delayed at the request of WMATA leaders, who want regional discussions on the matter.
While some within that “approaching 70%” figure are simply scofflaws, others may be unaware of the need to pay — bus service was free during part of the pandemic era. Others want to pay but find the technology broken and unable to accept farecards and/or cash when they enter the bus.
“There are a decent number of folks .. who wanted to pay but couldn’t,” said Paul Smedberg, another Virginia representative to, and first vice chair of, the WMATA board.
That problem is being addressed; 1,500 buses recently saw upgraded fare-payment equipment put in place. The Metro system also has rolled out efforts to provide discounted service to those of limited means.
And steps are being taken to address those who simply decline to pay fares. It is part of a broader effort that has reduced crime levels on the transit system in recent months.
“Not everyone who fare-evades is a criminal, but virtually every criminal fare-evades,” said Letourneau, borrowing with attribution a line frequently heard from Metro general manager Randy Clarke.
The Metro system, and the D.C. region, is hardly unique.
“This has got to be a big issue everywhere,” said Arlington County Board Chairman Libby Garvey, an NVTC board member, to nods from around the room.
Her Arlington board colleague, fellow NVTC member Takis Karantonis, suggested that Metro officials take a page from other transit systems, examining why people evade fares. That may help in addressing the issue in a nuanced way, he said.
On the rail side, the installation of new entry gates that make it far more difficult to evade paying have cut fare-evasion figures 82 percent, Metro officials said.
“That was money well-spent,” said Letourneau.
Not only is it bringing in more revenue to the frequently cash-strapped transit agency , but “the atmosphere [in the system] has significantly improved,” he added.
Fare-evaders on the bus and rail networks face fines of up to $100 in Maryland and Virginia, where it is classified as a criminal offense, and $50 in the District of Columbia, where it is considered a civil infraction.
Metro officials are focusing their enforcement efforts via the system’s police department , not front-line employees like drivers and station managers. Perhaps with good reason: according to a Metro press release, recent enforcement efforts have recovered 16 guns from those stopped for not paying.
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