D.C. Metro to increase fares, cut service this summer

D.C. Metro to increase fares, cut service

If you travel to Washington, D.C. often for business (or leisure) or have a trip planned this summer, plan on spending a little more when taking public transportation.

The D.C. Metro board has unanimously approved a proposal to increase fares while also cutting services that are underused. These changes will take effect in July.

The approved changes will raise Metro’s peak rail fare by $0.10, off-peak rail fare by $0.25 and bus fare by $0.25. Metro estimates that the increases will raise an estimated $21 million in 2018. Metro also plans to increase time between trains and eliminate bus routes that are inefficient or underused. These cuts would save an estimated $29 million.

Taking Metro is one of the easiest ways to arrive from DCA, IAD, or BWI to Downtown D.C. WMATA provides bus services between Metro stations and BWI and IAD. Meanwhile, downtown is easily accessible from DCA using Metro’s rail system.

Metro’s board chairman, Jack Evans, does not believe the fare increases and service cuts will cause a decrease in ridership. I agree with him. Given that many Federal government agencies, and DC local government, subsidize metro costs for their employees, as do many private companies that are required to do so by local and State law, ridership will not decrease. Essentially, there will always be a demand for Metro and you, the taxpayer, will always subsidize any increase they decide to implement because DC-based employees who get a transit subsidy will not necessarily complain because it does not, for the most part, personally affect their bank.

Who will this hurt? Indigent individuals and those who work for small companies who are not required to subsidize local transit.

Thoughts?

Source: NBC Washington <- List of eliminated bus routes available on NBC Washington’s site.