LA Metro to study feasibility of going fareless

A Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) exploratory task force is expected to begin working tomorrow on a proposal to eliminate all rail and bus fares.

The task force is charged with providing a fareless plan to LA Metro Chief Executive Officer Phillip Washington and the authority’s board by year’s end, including funding scenarios and sources.

No other large transit system in the world has gone entirely fareless, LA Metro officials said in a blog. Eliminating fares would be an economic development tool that would help improve mobility and put money back in the pockets of riders — who need it the most while recovering from the pandemic, they said.

Combined with other work to reduce traffic congestion, fare-free transit would greatly increase transit ridership, remove a noticeable number of cars from roads, help create more public spaces that better serve the majority of people and improve the area’s air quality, LA Metro officials believe.

“LA Metro has a moral obligation to pursue a fareless system and help our region recover from both a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and the devastating effects of the lack of affordability in the region.” said Washington in the blog. “I view this as something that could change the life trajectory of millions of people and families in L.A. County.”

Comprising LA Metro staff members, the task force will study ways to pay for a fareless program; its impact on ridership and on other transit agencies in Los Angeles County; the current cost to collect fares; and how the proposal would mitigate and/or eliminate fare enforcement issues and affect homelessness in the region. For example, the fareless program could be funded by local, state and federal funding opportunities, and/or by re-prioritizing budget dollars, LA Metro officials said.

Next year, the authority expects to test the concept in a pilot location.