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EC_dwtn t1_iu42mvr wrote

Reply to comment by Mr5t1k in Metro Exploring Short-Term Fare Hikes And Long-Term Fare Overhauls by Maxcactus

They are facing a $168 million dollar deficit--Most of that is not from lost fares.

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LeoMarius t1_iu48hvc wrote

Raising fares isn’t going to fix that, especially with lax fare enforcement.

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EC_dwtn t1_iu4hz7l wrote

I didn't say it would. I was responding to someone who said that fare raises wouldn't be on the table if everyone paid, which is likely not true.

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LeoMarius t1_iu4j9cs wrote

As long as they make fare jumping the norm, fares could be $100 a ride and it wouldn't' raise money for them. It would just make fare jumping more common.

It might get to the point where the ADA protests that the gates only make handicapped people pay.

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Mecha_Jesus_03 t1_iu4bsc0 wrote

Bro with the amount of people jumping the turnstiles I think it is a significant portion

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EC_dwtn t1_iu4hsjc wrote

They estimate they lost about $10 million in lost revenue during the first half of the year. It's a lot of money but many/most people jumping are kids who don't pay anyway.

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Mecha_Jesus_03 t1_iu4j7zu wrote

I don’t know, but I would think that the kids rides are reimbursed to WMATA by the government no? Also, their estimates are definitely conservative. Q1 2022 revenue was 50 million dollars, if 15% of people jump turnstiles (probably conservative lol) thats 35 mil per year

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SchokoKipferl t1_iu4i09s wrote

A lot of them are teenagers who ride free anyways (Kids Ride Free Program). They're supposed to tap their card but many of them don't bother with it.

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brodies t1_iu4ue14 wrote

Technicality: it’s free to the kids, but Metro still gets paid. Kids Ride Free is a subsidy provided by the DC government—DC covers their fare. When the kids and teens don’t use their card, Metro isn’t getting money.

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LoganSquire t1_iu51yfo wrote

Seems like it would be a lot easier for DC to just increase their payment to Metro based on the estimates ridership.

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brodies t1_iu55hie wrote

My understanding is they can’t actually do that due to the structure of the compact between DC, VA, MD, and the Feds that created WMATA. If I understand it correctly, each jurisdiction’s funding is set by a formula, and they can’t unilaterally give more. As I understand it, that’s part of the rationale behind things like DC trying to give residents $100 in metro money: it’s a way to indirectly fund metro without violating the funding rules. That said, I’m repeating what I’ve read and been told by others; I haven’t actually read the compact to confirm this limitation is in it.

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NorseTikiBar t1_iu4iehn wrote

"Bro" it amounts to something like 1% of their operating budget.

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