More than 1,200 five-foot-tall gates and taller fences have been installed across all stations. The agency also improved its fare boxes across its bus fleet.
Fare evasion increased to record levels during the pandemic, leading to a loss of $40 million of fare revenue a year. WMATA relies on those fares to help keep buses, trains, and MetroAccess services running.
The improvements have led to an 82% drop in fare evasion in the Metrorail system.
Ad Loading...
Completion of the Fare Gate Project
More than 1,200 five-foot-tall gates and taller fences have been installed across all stations. The project began in July 2023.
“We have seen incredible results from the taller faregates,” said WMATA GM/CEO Randy Clarke. “We are never going to completely stop fare evasion, but these go a long way in addressing the problem.”
WMATA also recently completed the installation of new fareboxes across all 1,500 of its buses.
Customers often could not pay on buses because of farebox malfunctions. Metro Transit Police regularly patrol bus loops and individual bus routes to enforce payment.
Preventing Fare Evasion
Fare evasion is one of customers’ biggest concerns, according to WMATA surveys. Customers said it made them feel unsafe and that it was unfair to those who paid fares.
Ad Loading...
“Tackling fare evasion has been one of the board of directors top priorities,” said WMATA Board Finance and Capital Committee Chair Matt Letourneau. “Not only does fare evasion cost us badly needed revenue, but it is also fundamentally unfair to all our customers who pay their hard-earned money.”
Metro Transit Police continue to patrol stations for fare evasion and have written more than 10,000 fare evasion citations so far this year. That’s nearly three times the number of tickets written through the same period last year and 2,000 more citations than all of 2019.
Revenue from the tickets goes to the local governments.
Fare evasion is one of customers’ biggest concerns, according to WMATA surveys. Customers said it made them feel unsafe and that it was unfair to those who paid fares.
Photo: WMATA
Fare Enforcement Success, Help for Those Who Need It
So far this year, MTPD has arrested more than 250 individuals stopped for fare evading and found to have open warrants. Police have also recovered 16 guns.
Fare evasion increased to record levels during the pandemic, leading to a loss of $40 million of fare revenue a year. Metro relies on those fares to help keep buses, trains, and MetroAccess services running.
Ad Loading...
For those who need help paying, WMATA has several fare discount programs.
Nearly 8,500 people have signed up for Metro Lift, a half-off fare program launched in June 2023 for low-income individuals enrolled in SNAP. Those over age 65 are eligible for half-off fares with a Senior SmarTrip card. D.C. students are eligible for the Kids Ride Free program.
Customers traveling between Redlands and Los Angeles can now tap their preferred payment method, including a credit or debit card, mobile wallet, or wearable device, at station validators before boarding and again while exiting.
From digital transformation to evolving customer demands, CharterUP's CEO Armir Harris offers his perspective on the transportation industry's next chapter.
The agency is seeking input from companies that provide real-time transit communications systems as part of an effort to enhance the customer experience and modernize how riders receive service alerts, travel information, and system status updates.
In our latest installment, we take a look at recent news from Masabi, Axentia, Moovit, and more partnerships making headlines across the transportation sector.
In this edition of METROspectives, Joshua Schank discusses lessons from launching LA Metro’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation, the challenges of advancing new mobility technologies, and much more.
Transit leaders need to know what needs fixing, where to look, who is responsible, when work is completed, and what it costs without having to chase information across disconnected systems.
The company is investing more than $55 million to acquire and improve the property and will employ approximately 100 people at this site once it is operational.
The BUSES Act would create a nationwide framework preventing state and local governments from enforcing bus idling restrictions of less than 15 minutes, a threshold consistent with existing Environmental Protection Agency guidance.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will test transit agencies’ ability to manage unpredictable travel patterns, making real-time data and operational flexibility critical to moving millions of visitors efficiently.
