WASHINGTON, D.C. — The city decriminalized fare evasion four years ago after a growing outcry over fines being levied against black residents. In the time since, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) reports it has lost $40 million every year due to riders not paying fares, contributing to its budget shortfall that has worsened with more people working from home.
This Tuesday marked the beginning of WMATA having its transit officers crack down on fare evaders. While the practice was not decriminalized in Virginia and Maryland, enforcement also dropped in the two states. WMATA's social media and signs in Metro stations warn of the fines people could face if they jump the turnstiles.
The fine for fare evasion in D.C. is $50 and $100 in Virginia and Maryland.
"Fare evasion is responsible for significant revenue losses and is part of the focus to close a shortfall of nearly $185 million in the upcoming budget. Using data from Metrobus and pre-pandemic industry averages for Metrorail, Metro estimates revenue losses due to fare evasion totaling tens of millions of dollars in fiscal year 2022," WMATA said in a statement.
We'll begin fare enforcement November 1. @MetroTransitPD will issue fare evasion citations with associated fines to anyone jumping fare gates, improperly using emergency gates, or not tapping fare boxes on Metrobuses. Learn more: https://t.co/WSmaOuuRdF #wmata pic.twitter.com/vJbE4zuXAq
— Metro (@wmata) October 28, 2022
Yes, MTPD will be giving out citations on our Metrobuses as well. -CC
— Metro (@wmata) October 28, 2022
At the L'Enfant Plaza Metro station on Tuesday, one Metro Transit police officer admitted to me they had not noticed a lot of fare jumpers that morning but only because they were not paying much attention to the matter as it is still low on their list of priorities, adding that the issue is "complicated" in the nation's capital.
When I went to Union Station, two people in front of me who got off the metro simply walked past the fare gates without paying. There were no officers around, but that could be attributed to it no longer being rush hour. Those were only two stops out of the wide jurisdiction Metro Transit officers have, but it appears the enforcement of a small problem that has a big impact on the service is a hit or miss.
This is not to say there could be better coordination to crack down on the freeloaders, but as with anything that has to deal with the WMATA, I'll believe it when I see it.