Washington, D.C., becomes the biggest city in the U.S. to waive bus fares to spur interest in public transit. Analysts say the bold plan offers a good test whether it will promote equity and win back pre-pandemic riders.
Analysts say D.C.’s free fare system offers a good test case on how public transit can be reshaped for a post-pandemic future.
The $2 fares will be waived for riders boarding Metrobuses within the city limits beginning around July 1. In unanimously approving the plan last week, the D.C. Council also agreed to expand bus service to 24 hours on 12 major routes downtown, benefiting nightlife and service workers who typically had to rely on costly ride-share to get home after the Metro subway and bus system closed at night.
About 68% of D.C. residents who take the bus have household incomes below $50,000, and riders are disproportionately Black and Latino compared with Metrorail passengers, according to the council’s budget analysis.Peter Van Doren, a senior fellow at the D.C.-based Cato Institute, said the plan risks high costs and mixed results, noting that the opportunity to improve ridership may be limited because bus passengers have been quicker to return to near pre-pandemic levels.
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