Metro Transit to reduce peak fares to lure back commuters
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As Metro Transit tries to lure commuters back onto buses and trains, it's eliminating the surcharge for local rush hour routes starting in 2025.
Why it matters: Transit ridership has been slow to recover. Last year it was still 41% below pre-pandemic levels, and while it's up nearly 9% this year, much of the rebound has come from people riding to events or errands.
- Morning rush hour ridership remains down a whopping 65% compared to 2019, according to Metro Transit numbers.
Driving the news: Metro Transit staff on Monday presented to the Met Council an overhaul of the agency's fare policy designed to appeal to the people who ride to and from their jobs.
By the numbers: Currently, riding a non-express bus or train during morning and evening peak hours costs $2.50. Starting Jan. 1, local rides will be a flat $2 at all times. (The change will not affect express bus routes.)
- People who qualify for reduced fares will pay $1 for all rides.
- All-day pass prices will be cut from $5 to $4; 10-ride passes will be cut from $20.50 to $20; and a 7-day pass will drop from $24 to $20.
- The $90 31-day pass will be eliminated, though stacking 7-day passes will be cheaper.
- Metro Mobility rides will also be cut by 50 cents during peak hours.
The big picture: The changes are also part of a broader effort by Metro Transit to make riding simpler.
- Starting in the spring, the agency will begin to install new fare collection machines that will allow passengers to tap their credit card instead of having to get a Metro Transit Go-To card and load it up with credit.
Between the lines: Metro Transit estimates that the fare reductions will result in an additional 900,000 rides in 2025, but will reduce revenue by about $4 million.
- The agency's 2023 budget was $530 million and it provided 48.7 million rides.
What we're watching: If Metro Transit will also eliminate the peak hour surcharge on express bus routes.
- The agency plans to study the issue and come back with a potential comprehensive transit policy proposal in the middle of 2025.