Why fare evasion has skyrocketed on the Trolley
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For years, fare evasion on the Trolley hovered around 3% of riders. Since 2022, it has skyrocketed.
Why it matters: The surge in riders opting not to pay for their fares is costing the Metropolitan Transit System serious revenue.
By the numbers: The Trolley had higher ridership in 2023 than 2019 but collected $15 million less in fare revenue.
Between the lines: Fare evasion jumped because of two simultaneous changes on the transit system, MTS officials said at a hearing last week.
- The agency adopted a fare-evasion diversion program in mid-2020, giving violators the option of simply purchasing a one-way fare to avoid a citation.
- MTS also adopted Pronto, a new fare-payment system that removed the incentive to buy monthly or daily transit passes to save money.
- Together, these changes created a loophole by which riders could skip buying a fare, knowing they could just pay the same $2.50 if they were caught.
How it works: MTS uses a proof-of-payment system, meaning there are no turnstiles restricting unticketed passengers.
- Riders instead must demonstrate proof of a fare purchase to officers, if requested.
- MTS officials said riders encounter fare checks on about 5% of rides, but officials hope to push that to 15%.
- The bus system doesn't face the same problem since riders must purchase fares from a driver before boarding.
The latest: The MTS board last Thursday voted down a staff proposal to remove the on-the-spot payment option, leaving fare jumpers with a $25 fine or three hours of community service.
- Board members said the punishment is too harsh and referred to stories from before the policy change that demonstrated the outsized effect that fare-evasion citations had on low-income residents, as well as those experiencing homelessness.