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10/6/2022
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority this week kicked off a campaign to warn against fare evasion.
WMATA has begun displaying notices on digital signs throughout its network, warning evaders about the fines associated with avoiding fare payment, WMATA officials said in a press release.
A fare evasion fine costs $50 in Washington, D.C., compared to up to $100 in Maryland and Virginia, where it's also a criminal offense. The District of Columbia recently decriminalized fare evasion, starting next month.
The digital notices will run through mid-October, after which Metro Transit Police Department officers and other WMATA personnel will begin distributing fliers to identified fare evaders. The campaign is scheduled to end in November.
MTPD officers will issue citations to anyone caught evading fare payment, WMATA officials said.
"The region needs to decide what we want [WMATA] to be, and fare policy should be part of the conversation," said General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke. "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 and therefore the necessary revenues must exist to deliver the services the community needs.”
Fare evasion is a top concern for riders when talking with WMATA staff and board members, officials said. Fare evasion accounted for an estimated $40 million in lost revenue in fiscal-year 2022. WMATA is installing new fare gate technology to more accurately measure losses due to fare evasion.