DC Metro considers fare hike because 64% of riders refuse to pay

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager Randy Clarke said the agency is facing a budget deficit and does not have sufficient funding to maintain its current level of service.

“We’re going to have a deficit in [the fiscal year starting next summer] even on top of a fare increase,” Clarke told 7News. “So it’s our job in two weeks to come back to the board and talk about some more optionality around even a higher fare increase, service cuts that could be pretty significant, or our jurisdictions helping us both on fares and/or on the subsidy [they give us] to make sure that we’re delivering service.”

Clarke said Metro is facing financial pressures from several factors, including inflation and rising fuel and energy costs. Fare evasion among bus passengers is also contributing to the financial challenges, and 64 percent of Metro bus riders are not paying their fares. This comes despite a campaign from officials to get more people to tap their cards or to pay with their phones.

Significant service reductions could follow as the agency looks to address its budget deficit. Clarke said specific proposals will be announced in December when Metro releases its proposed budget for the next fiscal year.

The public will have an opportunity to comment on the proposed budget before the Metro board votes on it next spring. Any approved changes are expected to take effect at the start of the fiscal year, which is July 1.

“You’ve got to go fairly deep on service cuts to get actual savings,” he said. “Cutting trains from like eight minutes to ten minutes doesn’t really save much money at all, so you’ve got to cut and unfortunately impact people’s lives to save the costs needed to balance the budget.”

The possibility of raising the fare in response to widespread fare evasion drew criticism online, with some questioning why passengers who follow the rules should be expected to pay more.

“I'm surprised 36% of the riders are stupid enough to pay,” one user wrote in response to a report.

“Punish good behavior, reward bad behavior. I wonder what the consequences of that will be,” wrote another.