By Tcherika Petit-Frere
To combat fare evasion in the DMV Metrobus and Metrorail, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (WMATA) has announced that they will soon be issuing fines to all DMV residents who invade, paying for the Metrobus and Metrorail. This announcement was after the WMATA reported losing $40 million in fare evasion.
While the WMATA issued a warning period for the month of October and November for D.C. residents, the warning period will consist of having digital signs announcing the news. Soon, they will start having Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) officers and Metro workers pass out physical warnings to riders they catch evading the fare.
After the warning period, D.C. residents will be fined and may face a civil offense. In contrast, Maryland and Virginia ride evaders will face a criminal offense on top of being fined.
While they haven’t started issuing fines to residents of D.C., they have already begun to fine residents in Virginia and Maryland. D.C. will start in November. Maryland and Virginia fines can be up to $100.
If a person is caught evading the fair in Washington, D.C., they will pay a fine of $50.
The loss of revenue reported by WMATA is at an all-time high; before the pandemic, WMATA’s loss of income was estimated to be $36 million.
“The region needs to decide what we want Metro to be, and fare policy should be part of the conversation,” said General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke in a press release, “Many people have mentioned going to a fare-free model, but fare-free does not mean free. There are costs associated with running the community’s transit system; therefore, the necessary revenues must exist to deliver the community’s services.”
Many residents have mixed feelings about the news.
“I do not agree with D.C. fining residents who evade fare. Usually, those who evade fare do it for a reason (they may not be able to afford this fee). $2 may not seem like a lot but imagine a person has to use public transportation to get to work and has to pay $4 every time. That adds up,” says Sadiya Quetti-Goodson, a sophomore Film student at Howard University, “I feel like these fines are attacking the wrong problem. They notice people can’t afford to pay (because they are evading) yes punish poverty instead of implementing programs. I would much rather them come up with an affordable deal for people with large discounts for students or those who make a certain income.”
To help residents who might not be able to afford the Metrobus and Metrorail fares, D.C. Council member Charles Allen of Ward 6 proposed a bill earlier this year called Metro For DC Amendment Act of 2021, known as Metro for D.C. Where D.C. adult residents can sign up for a $100 balance to be put on their SmarTrip card ( a card used to pay for the Metrorail and Metrobus), and a hearing is scheduled on February 23 for the Council Committee on Transportation and the Environment and see if the committee will pass the bill.
Metro for D.C. will not apply to residents of Maryland and Virginia.
Technological advancements are on the way to help the WTPD enforce this.